The Beautiful Chaos --Digger Harkness-Captain Boomerang--
by Lots of Sun
Summary: {A Captain Boomerang Romance Novel} " Loving You Is Like Holding The Sun & Hoping I Don't Get Burned." Physician Adira Langley's new job puts her face to face with the Aussie thief himself. Surrounded by crooked prison guards, and deviant doctors, Langley finds an unlikely ally in a dark place.
1. Prologue

Full Name **:** Adira ' **Addy'** Langley

Age; Twenty-Seven

Birthday; October 9th

Occupation-Title ; Dr and secondary Physician at Belle Reve Penitentiary.

Nicknames-Alias; Dr. Langley, Addy, Dr. Venom

Past Life; Adira was born in Japan, but when she was nine, she moved to America with her father and mother. Aside from being at the top of her class in High School and College, she had a brief run in with the law, where she was charged with a misdemeanor, that was eventually dismissed. Adira graduated through med-school and before deciding her career, she was offered a well paying job at very secret government facility. She accepted with the idea of paying off some of her debt and making a name for herself, unaware of what the future had in store for her.

* * *

She had lived the life of a privileged child, and although she was forced to make the drastic move from Japan, and to the United States, she adjusted well. Her father was in the military, and her mother was a doctor, so from a very young age, there was an expectation to how she was going to turn out.

She wasn't supposed to meet Him.

Eventually falling in love with a thieving lunatic, and nearly throwing her career away? No. Those types of things weren't in her parents pre-approved list of life decisions.

Adira's life was predestined from birth, so when she decided to go off the beaten path, things go irrationally.

Safe and practical, Adira meets her attractive opposite in George Harkness, who is dangerous and unpredictable.

In a theatrical display, Harkness and Adira's relationship boils to the surface in an unexpected way, leaving the Doctor the choice of ignoring her feelings for the Belle Rouge Prisoner, or to let her protective walls crumble and take a chance with him.

* * *

Thank You for taking an interest in this novel! So, I'm going to be upfront about a few things!

 **The Length**

 **So, let's be honest, arguably length is the most** **important** **thing to everyone,** especially when you're comparing it to the **length** of a novel. Why what were you thinking of?

So, concerning length, this will be a relatively short series. That, however, doesn't take away from how much I am going to enjoy writing it. I still haven't decided if I would like to update weekly, or post multiple chapters every other week, but eventually I'll short that shit out. But, for now, I want you to know that this series will be be around 20 chapters long, maybe 25 if I really get into the sexy stuff. Because HELLO have YOU SEEN BOOMERANG? I MEAN geeesh, how could I not include tons of sexual scenes and situations. Which, brings me to my next topic.

 **Rated Mature**

This entire book, from the first chapter to the last, will be mature rated. Some of it will be a little more PG, but for the most part it's going to be bare asses and language. That means if your little Puritan Pilgrim eyes can not handle reading descriptive sex scenes, inexcusably disgusting language, and beautiful gut-wrenching violence, then please, either politely ask me for the entire G rated summary, or glaze over the naughty bits and miss out on the fun.

 **The Last Thing** is very easy to understand and read, and that is please do not copy my plot, original character or series! I do not own Captain Boomerang or any of the DC oddballs.


	2. The Big Bad Wolf

Updates will be sporadic but not too far from each other. If that makes sense. & this will be the only time I mention this, **but vote if you liked a chapter, comment if you enjoyed it as well and to anyone who adds my story to their library, you're also very, very appreciated.**

* * *

Amanada Waller was one persistent bitch.

Adira was fresh from college and just starting her first full time job when Waller had asked to speak with her, and like every other patient she'd seen that day, she was eager to help. She had never met Waller prior, and if she had to give an honest opinion on her, it would be that she appreciated her honesty.

Give that a few months and she'd wished she would have gutted the wench while she had the chance.

Waller offered the young grad a chance that most don't receive right out of College, the chance to make a name for herself and to chip away at the large stack of debt she had acquired. More than once she had asked Waller why. Why had she chosen her? She was inexperienced in the field she was recruiting her into, and still very weary, it would take almost a month before Adira would reluctantly agree to take up the position.

" You'll be in charge of over 80 inmates, Ms. Langley, will that be too much? "

Waller's tone was a little condescending, and Adira could tell she was resisting to smile. The two of them sat inside Langley's new office at Belle Reve Penitentiary, as she was briefed on her duties and everyday tasks, and introduced to the head physician.

There was a brief knock at the door, and Adira's already anxious mind, kicked into overdrive. The head physician entered after Waller answered the gesture, and with an abrupt entry, he introduced himself.

" I'm, uh-Dr. Ganes, It's incredibly nice to meet you. "

Ganes spoke in a hurried voice, clearing his throat before glancing over to Waller.

There was an uneasiness that spread across the room within seconds of Ganes entering it. It was obvious to Adira, that Ganes had some sort of dread in concerns to Waller. A feeling that the two physicians would eventually share in the months to come.

" So, we have six blocks in the ward you will be covering, sections A-F. "

Ganes had been instructed to show her around her first day, and help her get accustomed to the prison guards and routines. So far she'd met a dozen different inmates, been introduced to a few of the head Guards and eaten lunch. Ganes had tried his best to say the least amount of words possible to her. Adira had figured out that he was a little fucking strange to say the absolute least.

She'd been classmates with men like him; _fidgety_ , abnormal doctors that you could tell weren't completely ethical. They'd be the ones who would get a little _too_ excited examining naked dead bodies, or get reprimanded for taking trophies home of the dead women they'd reviewed.

Ganes was a freak, she was sure of it, but for now he was her boss. With her official title being secondary head physician to the Prison, she had to listen to his suggestions and try to take his lead.

Ganes paused at the center of a Hallway, he turned to her and fixed the thick rimmed glasses on his face and swallowed hard, " I have to go, and do some-somethings, so I need you to go about your routine. If you need me you can call. " Ganes turned to leave, but paused a few steps down the hallway, before turning back to face her unexpectedly.

" Oh-oh, oh, but, " Ganes fixed his glasses again and Adira watched as his hands seemed to tremble as he nervously fumbled along his medical jacket.

" You absolutely, and I say this with-with the most urgent of warnings, do not go into sections G-K of the prison, those are restricted prisoners under my, and-and only my medical supervision. You will be reprimanded for it Dr. Langley, and I mean this as no sort of-of threat, but as a friendly warning.. "

Ganes blinked more than any human should as he spoke, and he cleared his throat enough times that Adira was sure he was just messing with her. Right about now she'd make some kind of joke about his throat being sore from sucking too much cock, but she kept her friendly banter to herself.

Ganes didn't make eye contact with her as he spoke, and his eyes always leered down at her breasts or at her shoes. He nodded to her and turned, quickly walking away before she could raise any more questions.

The young doctor was left alone in the large, quiet hallway that had over a dozen different doors, each going to a different section of the prison. One of the guards had taken the time to introduce himself and offer her a tour of the rest of the prison, which was a warm welcome compared to the Circus Spectacle that Ganes had just performed in front of her.

" I'm Piece Runner, me and Officer Landon run the prison, well, for the most part. "

Adira's face must have shown her interest in being shown around, and Runner laughed at her elated expression and motioned to a set of automatic opening doors.

* * *

The prison was relatively quiet around 1pm, and the only sound within the guarded pathways, was the sound of her white heels connecting with the solid concrete below. She hadn't been sure how to dress for this job, and to her surprise she assumed she had done well. Normally, as a doctor, she'd be in tennis shoes and some kind of comfortable sweats, but her mother had scorned her on multiple occasions for not looking 'professional enough.' So, slowly, her outfit had transformed into heels, a black pencil skirt and some sort of pretty, professional top. She always had her white lab coat on, which fell down just to the middle of her thighs. She had a brand new plastic ID tag that had her face and title on the badge, and was clipped to her breast pocket.

" Am I allowed to be candid, Dr. Langley? "

Candid. Are you **fucking kidding me** , YES! PLEASE end my misery and crack a joke.

Adira thought playfully to herself. Not many people knew how perverted and scandalous doctors could be. Almost everyone she knew, Creepy Dr. Ganes included, was some kind of degenerate.

" Of course. "

Adira's professional tone had set Runner on edge, and she could tell he was uneasy with speaking to her so improperly.

" You, are way _too_ pretty to be in a place like this. "

Runner's face twisted into a glorious, embarrassed spectacle. She was sure he wasn't completely sure of what he had just said, but she knew what he was trying to say.

Adira was beautiful by most cultural standards, at least thats what people had told her. She stood at most 5ft 5" when she wasn't in heels, and thanks to her Japanese mother, had inherited beautiful, ethnic looks by American standards. She knew she was pretty, but it didn't really matter, because her looks tended to draw the wrong type of men. The type of men who would follow you home after a bad date and refuse to leave you alone, or the type of men who would threaten you and then apologize for it later.

Because of this, she stayed away from the opposite sex unless she absolutely had to. It wasn't until her second year of medical school that she had finally lost her virginity, and she had forced herself to meet with a few other guys since then, but for the most part they were all pretty much the same, and by that she meant super fucking psycho.

Had there been a few normal ones? Sure. But those numbers were drastically underwhelmed by the creeps and perverts, and although she knew that deep down, she, herself, was depraved, it didn't help her cause having a man try to stalk and kidnap her.

Being Asian and a Doctor was so ordinary now, that remarks like this seemed mundane. But she was new, and telling him to shut his fucking mouth would be impolite. Besides, at least he didn't seem like freak, at least not yet.

Adira politely smiled at him and laughed in a airy light tone, making sure he understood that his advances weren't taken too seriously. Runner continued to speak about himself and the prison. Explaining that without special clearance, she wasn't allowed in the other half of the prison, which she hadn't noticed until now, but was very heavily guarded and was partially underground.

" So, who is kept down there. "

Adira glanced over to her left where Officer Runner was standing next to her. He stood at least four inches taller than her, and had a strong jaw that was connected to a handsome face.

" I'm not really supposed to talk about it, but.. "

Runner paused and turned his head to her, letting his face linger just an inch or so from hers, trying too hard to be secretive and if she was honest, trying too hard to hit on her. She could practically taste his aftershave, which was beginning to make her stomach twist and knot.

" We keep prisoners there that are at a much more dangerous threat level than anyone else in this box, " Runner paused, licking his lips and letting an overly excited look pass over his face. He looked like a lion, preparing to sink his teeth into his prey, and that anticipatory look that he was showing, made her stomach sink even further.

This man was a _freak_ too.

Adira knew she had a bad habit of judging people too fast, but in her defense, normally, she was right. Which was even more frustrating.

Officer Runner was a man that did not like to be told no. Adira could tell that the mucho macho-ness that this guy had was dangerous, and that he was another one that she should tread lightly with.

Their tour was interrupted by a hasty, loud crowd of screaming men, and Officer Runner was swift to sprint to the source of the noise, and Adira was quick to follow.

* * *

She arrived a minute later than him, and it was only because of the shoes she was wearing. Adira came onto the scene to see six different prison guards wailing on a prisoner.

At first glance she had assumed that perhaps the prisoner had attacked an officer and needed to be subdued, but within moments of steeping onto the scene, she realized that it was quite the opposite.

There was a roughed up man that was being held in a wheelchair and his body was bound by tight restraints. Adira watched as the guards wailed onto the helpless man, screaming in pure joy as they beat in his face with batons and took photos.

" This is the asshole who tried to get away, isn't it? Captain Dingo-berry? "

One of the guards had slammed a baton into the inmates face with enough force that he was temporarily knocked unconscious.

The guard laughed and turned to notice Adira, who was looking on completely shocked.

 **She was now convinced** that the people running this prison were the ones who were deranged, not the inmates themselves.

There were some mummers of 'Oh SHIT' and 'FUCK IS THAT THE NEW DOCTOR'. Followed by Officer Runner clearing his throat and looking behind him to see her. She immediately noticed the fresh, crimson blood on one of his fists, and watched as all the guards scrambled away from the prisoner.

The air in the large hallway was thick with uncomfortable silence. Every single guard had their eyes on her, and she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck and arms stand on end, as she began to feel more and more frightened. She felt as though she was the witness in something she knew nothing about.

The man in the wheelchair exhaled a hard, wet cough, spewing blood and spit onto the officers that were in front of him. He started to laugh the moment he gained enough air, and spit more blood from his mouth.

Adira couldn't make out what he looked like, not from his current condition. The inmate had blood completely covering his face and one of his eyes was swollen shut.

" That's all you bunch'of fucking pussies have in ya? "

The man's words were slurred and watery, but Adira had managed to make out that he had an Australian accent.

The inmate's flirty comment prompted one of the guards to slam a baton at the man's head, silencing him once again as he was knocked completely unconscious.


	3. Captain Crunch

The guards in the hallway seemed to scatter, chattering on and on about how much shit they would be in if Waller heard what had happened. Some stayed back, pretending to be keeping an eye on the inmate, when in reality, Adira knew they were doing damage control. They were terrified that she was going to snitch.

But, honestly, she wasn't sure what she would be reporting anyway. A subdued inmate was beaten recklessly by men abusing their power, perhaps. It was less important, what did matter right now, was making sure that this man was alright. Although, by how many times he had been hit in the head, she was sure that there had to be some type of trauma.

" I'm so sorry you had to see that, this guy has been giving us trouble since he arrived a few hours ago. "

Officer Runner's voice seemed to flow through her as she took in what he had just said.

 ** _" Hours Ago "_**

That meant, that by the way his wounds were at critical stages, that this man had most likely been beaten since he had arrived. He'd be lucky to not have some type of cardiac arrhythmia or concussion.

The men that had stayed behind were eyeing her wearily, and she was quick to put on a show.

Adira smiled warmly, as though she hadn't just seen a man get nearly bludgeoned to death in front of her. She spoke in a candid, guilt free tone, " Oh no, it's fine, I don't know the first thing about prisoner protocol, " she lied.

These crazy-fucks gave no second thought to beating a man in restraints, she wasn't exactly sure how far down their moral counters had gone, and didn't care to find out. The moment she spoke there was a cumulated moment of relief that flooded through the hall, and some of the guards left, while Runner temporarily spoke to Dr. Ganes into an intercom in his ear.

After a few moments of silence Runner finally finished his conversation with Ganes and shot a small smirk at Adira, " Looks like you get to see the big boys in action on your first day, Boss wants you to escort this asshole to Ward X in the maximum security side of the prison. "

Adira's blank expression caused Runner to laugh as he caught his breath and used his hands to speak, " You, you-uh get to come with us, we're escorting Harkness to the Maximun Security Wing of the prison. "

Adira realized what was happening and quickly nodded at Runner and waited for a moment as another guard pushed the wheelchair that had unconscious inmate in it.

Her mind drifted for a moment as she meticulously went over the same question. What was her price? She listened to Runner speak as they walked, most of the time it was about him or something she had little to no interest in, this left her mind to wander.

What was her price? She considered herself to be an ethical doctor and human being, that being said, she knew she wasn't a saint. She'd gotten into some political trouble back in college and had nearly lost her medical license and gotten expelled, after a professor had been killed and she was blamed for the murder. Luckily, the charges were dropped and she was given the chance to finish medical school, which she did.

Waller had offered her a starting salary of $100,000 a year, and she was beginning to see why. Even on her first day, she could tell that this prison was something out of a Stephen King book. The salary had been so high, because she assumed, no other doctors had wanted to deal with the ethical day to day of the prison.

".. his name is George Harkness, but he likes to use the alias "Captain Boomerang. " "

Runner mocked the prisoner, and finally Adira had a name to put to the face. A strange name, but a name at least. They passed three security checkpoints before finally entering the super-secret prison area, and Runner was persistent with insulting the unconscious inmate.

" Isn't that right, Captain Crunch? " Runner scoffed at the inmate, and Adira tried her best to keep a straight face. She resisted the urge to tell Runner what a complete douchebag he was, but she was sure he was accustomed to the name. After all it fit him so well.

Her professional side was getting the best of her, she wanted to tell Runner to shut the fuck up and to blow it out his ass, but she knew that would be impolite. What she really wanted to do was shove Runner into a wall and treat the fucking patient. Clearly, no one knew how to do their job properly here, and she knew the longer he stayed unconscious, the longer the chance of a concussion permanently damaging his brain, went up.

The trip to Section H was a blur. Unfortunately she hadn't remembered her route to the location, as her mind was too cluttered with trying to diagnose the patient without touching him and trying to pretend to listen to Runner's non-stop running mouth.

Runner paused again while they were walking, bringing up a free hand to his ear and listening to what the voice on the other side of the intercom was saying.

" Another big day for you Dr. Langley, Ganes is caught up in something and can't come down so you're going to have to treat Harkness. "

" Harkness. " Adira's voice was quiet and calm, and only heard by herself.

The four of them paused outside a cell labeled ' SECTION H ', and Runner went with Harkness and the other guard into the room. Adira followed slowly, taking in what the room contained and quickly going over the treatment she was going to administer.

Section H wasn't a prisoner cell or even any kind of real medical room. If she had to describe what it was, she would use the word 'cluster-fuck.' There were piles of papers and outdated files scattered around.

" This is the daytime medical bay, we normally treat the prisoners here if we're in a pinch. "

Runner spoke, as both he and the other officer took the restraints off of Harkness and attempted to move him.

George Harkness was a tall, wide shouldered man, Adira assumed he stood almost 6ft3 and had broad shoulders and well defined muscles on his arms. He would certainly be a handful if he ever did decide to attack any of the guards.

They set Harkness down on a bench that attached to a wall, and chained both of his arms to cuffs that were attached to the wall before another guard came into the room, asking for both Runner and the other officer.

Runner left the room for a few moments, giving her a few seconds to let her eyes wander over to Harkness. She glanced down to her lab coat, realizing she didn't have that many items on her that could be of help.

Runner entered the room, speaking to her and trying to catch his breath,

" I'll be back in ten minutes, we have another situation to deal with down the block! "

Runner practically spat the words at her before running away and letting the door close behind him.

* * *

The room they were in was small, maybe 15ft by 15ft, and the light above the two of them was less than ideal. There were no windows in the room, and the door to the room had no windows and was sealed well.

She didn't hesitate to immediately approach the prisoner, with helping him being the first thing on her mind. He was still unconscious when she reached him, and she feverishly looked around the room to see what she could turn up.

" Yes, just what I need, gauze pads and fucking cotton balls.. "

Adira cursed loudly to herself, becoming more and more frustrated by the minute. Too much had happened today for her to absorb all of it, and this was the icing on the shit-tastic cake, that was dealing with everyone that worked here.

" Let's just leave the unconscious person asleep after they've suffered head trauma, yeah, fucking great idea.. "

Adira scorned the officers from a safe place, angrily blowing her hair from her face as she searched through another set of cabinets in the room.

" Gotcha! "

Adira finally found something she could immediately use, and clumsily grabbed the gauze from earlier and a bottle of alcohol.

She felt like she was in some kind of drama where she had to fix the patient with a finite amount of supplies. It was incredibly frustrating, and she knew that if she voiced her concerns to the guards, something bad might happen to her. So, for now, she'd vent to the unconscious inmate, who soon, wouldn't be asleep much longer.

Adira kneeled down in front of the inmate, and placed the plastic tip of a syringe into her mouth. She pulled the syringe from its plastic sheath and spat it to the ground before slamming the needle into the mans thigh and letting her thumb slowly press down on it's head, injecting him with adrenaline.

Within seconds of the injection the man was gasping for air and looking around the room with a pained, confused expression. Adira sighed as a fleeting moment of relief swept over her. The hardest part of her job was done, now she just had to keep him awake.

The man didn't ask any questions or try to attack her, instead he began to laugh as his shoulders relaxed and his posture slipped.

Adira had already started to prepare the gauze pads and alcohol, when he became quiet.

She looked up to make sure he wasn't sleeping again, only to see him doing just that. Still kneeling in front of him, she put a hard hand against his chest causing him to loudly cough.

" Mr. Harkness, how are you feeling? "

Adira paused, setting the bottle of rubbing alcohol onto the ground and placing her hand onto his wrist to check his vitals.

" I cin ump your court. "

Adira immediately let her hand fall from his wrist as she looked up to him, she was sure he was having some kind of mental delay or possible stroke.

" One more time Mr. Harkness. "

Adira spoke, listening closely to try and decipher what he was trying to say. She bent forwards slightly, not taking her eyes off of his.

" I can, see down your skirt, love. "

Adira looked at him questioningly as her head tilted for a moment. Her face began to flush as she realized what he was saying and she quickly scuttled to her feet, nearly toppling over her heels in the process.

Harkness laughed from the bottom of his stomach, laughing so hard that he began to cough to catch his breath. With each exhale, more and more blood came up, and Adira's medical background over ran her embarrassment, as she quickly bent forwards and began to examine him.

His blood pressure was a little now, and for now he wasn't showing any signs of falling asleep again. She had managed to get most of the blood from his face, and had examined his eye that was still swollen shut.

" You need to make sure you don't go to sleep for at least another twelve hours, if you fall asleep you could suffer brain damage or just not wake up entirely- "

" Tha-fuck you care if I suffer brain damage, " Harkness laughed and spat at the floor again, flashing a toothy grin at Adira before coughing and quieting down.

Adira took a deep, aggravated breath before bringing up a hand to her temple and taking a moment to herself.

She exhaled loudly and bent down to the ground, picking up the bottle of rubbing alcohol and taking a step closer to Harkness. She twisted the protectively lid off of the top of the bottle and dumped the bottle onto his neck and chest, causing him to nearly jump out of his own skin and scream at her.

" You, fucking- "

" Mr. Harkness, you need to make sure you don't go to sleep for at least twelve hours, " Adira reached into the pocket of her lab coat and pulled out a clean gauze pad. She carefully removed some of the blood from Harkness's face and began to pad down his neck, " and you need to clean your wounds once a day, or you won't be around much longer. "

The anger that the inmate had immediately subsided and another grin was slowly growing over his face.

" Roger that. "

She was sure Harkness was being a sarcastic asshole, but he was at least putting on a friendly face. The next ten minutes were filled with silence. Adira had tried to check the status of the rest of his body, but it was difficult with his restraints.

After she removed most of the blood and some of the swelling had gone down, Harkness was a relatively handsome man, and the Australian accent didn't hurt.

He had short curled hair, and the eye that was open and constantly looking at her, was bright green color.

" Are you dizzy, Mr. Harkness, or have any nausea? "

" Mr. Harkness, sweetie, you can call me Digger. "

Adira was cleaning one of the wounds on his shoulder when he spoke back to her, and she silently made a mental note. She paused, hearing sounds outside the door to the room she was in. The voices were of some of the prison guards, but within moments of them being in ear shot, they were gone.

She'd been left alone with Harkness for over twenty minutes, she was beginning to wonder what had happened to Runner.

* * *

" You're awfully sweet to be in a place like this."

The corner of Harkness's mouth peaked as he broadly smiled at Adira, showing some of his false, metallic teeth and allowing for some of her anxiety to lift.

After spending nearly eight hours in a prison, it was a fucking prisoner that made her feel safe and comfortable. She wouldn't say anything out loud, but the entire experience with Harkness had been therapeutic. She'd had to deal with the deranged Doctor Ganes today and Officer Psycho, so this brief moment of compassion that she had shared between both her and Harkness, had been, kinda nice.

Harkness sat back against the pale beige colored wall, each of his arms were tightly confined to cuffs that were in turn, also attached to the wall. He closed his eyes for a moment and Adira continued to care for him in silence. There were a few moments where she was sure he had fallen asleep, but she'd catch him staring at her, or casually tapping his foot against the floor.

Harkness had on a blue zip up hoodie with white letters on the front that spelled out Captain. The letters were a mix of red and dark brown, both attributed to the fresh and old blood that had been spilled onto his cloths.

The more often her bare hands touched his chest or shoulders, the quieter he became, and the more sure she was that he had fallen asleep. Occasionally she'd lift her hands from his body, only to see his eye open cautiously to see why she had stopped.

Runner's voice immediately caught her ears as she slowly grew to her feet and glanced over her shoulder, watching him as he threw open the door and entered the room.

Adira didn't know the entire situation, but she was adept enough to realize that perhaps the prisoners in this specific prison, were so elusive, that there was no moral or ethical standards to lead by when dealing with them.

Runner immediately looked to Adira and at her hands, and she matched his gaze, not realizing she had neglected to put on a pair of gloves to clean Harkness's wounds. The Prison guard rushed into the room, casually kicking over papers and files as he made his way over to where Harkness was being held.

" I'm sorry about that, I was gone quite a while, I'm sure he behaved, or you would have called for someone. "

Runner flashed a brief, alluring smile to Adira that diminished the moment he looked at Harkness. Runner stepped towards Harkness and Adira immediately put out an arm, and tried to intercept any violence that Runner might have in mind.

 **If** she was comfortable enough with him, she would have shoved him back and told him to watch the fuck what he was doing, and that although George Harkness was a criminal, he was still a human being and needed to be treated as so.

What came out, however was much more polite.

" He's suffered a hard concussion, and he needs to be put on rest or he could die. "

She outright lied to Officer Runner, but she knew that there wasn't a real choice in the matter. Runner was fucking prick, and Adira had already realized what the guards game plan was with Harkness. The only card she had left to pull was the mortality one.

" It's just, " Adira took a deep breath and flashed a wide smile at Harkness, trying to turn up her charm, " I really don't want to make Amanda Waller angry with me, this is my first day and if a patient under my care was wounded or died.. " Adira paused, shifting her glance from Runner and to the ground. " It's just that I don't want to lose my job. "

Runner's entire macho facade began to diminish as she snuffed a hard glare at Harkness,

" You have nothing to worry about, Dr. Langley. I'll personally guarantee that nothing else happens to ole' Captain Kangaroo in my care, "

Runner smiled warmly at Adira, and she managed to force a smile back at him, all the while keeping Harkness in the corner of her vision.

Adira wasn't exactly sure why, but she was determined to make sure this man stayed alive.


	4. Cute Fanny

It would be over a week until she managed to see him again, and even then it was only for a few brief moments in the hallway outside his cell.

Adira had been beyond swamped, ontop of the 80 inmates she had to care for on a daily basis, Ganes had slowly withdrew himself from taking on any of the tasks that were involved in caring for the prisoners that were kept in Sections G-K.

Which normally, would have been great. Seeing Dr. Strange less and less every week was like a breath of fresh air, and allowed her to gain more ground with her patients and with the guards, not mentioning that not having to see Ganes's fucking creepy beady eyes and having to listen to his awkward conversations, had actually made coming to work easier.

The only thing that had bothered her were the stories that she was hearing. Murmers from guards who assumed the new Doctor was too busy to eves drop and do any snooping herself, but Adira was much more observant than anyone gave her credit for. Dr. Ganes had gained a reputation amongst the staff as a nonconventional doctor, but Adira knew better. Ganes was unethical and a border-lining sociopath, and as far as Adira was concerned, he deserved to be fucking locked up.

She had enjoyed not getting gawked at by Ganes wandering, creepy eyes or resisting the urge to punch him in his throat, why was he always trying to clear his throat, what could possibly be in there!?

Adira was annoyed with him, and the only thing that had gotten her through her first week, were the patients. The criminals were each different in their own dynamics, and had a fresh look to their faces each time they saw her. Today, in particular, was her

day off. But, being in her position, she was required to come in anytime Ganes requested, and boy had he requested her.

Calling her at the ungodly hour of two-fucking-thirty in the morning, just a handful of hours after she'd gotten home and into bed, telling her that she needed to come in the next morning. She wanted to scream through the phone and tell him what a piece of shit degenerate doctor he was, but instead she took a deep breath and agreed. If she didn't come in, odds were the inmates would suffer.

Adira rubbed the back of her neck with a free hand, letting her head bow slightly as she tried to massage away some of the stress from the day, but little did she know, today was just beginning to fuck her over. She had to deal with a ten person riot from the ordinary inmates ontop of seeing one of the inmates from the Maximum Security Block. Upon coming to Belle Reve, she had assumed this large of a government facility would have a well organized file system, but not to her surprise, the entire prison was a clusterfuck.

There were backgrounds of only a handful of inmates, and no vaccination records or health concerning risks of any kind. She wasn't sure which of these assholes might be allergic to penicillin or might have an illness or ailment. As far as she was concerned, she was working in the emergency room at a hospital; which consisted of a chaotic flow of patients, inaccurate patient histories and the mundane task of trying to organize who needed to be treated right away, or every other day.

This place was no longer a way to catch up on her student loans and a way to pay for her house, instead it was a black void that only went one way; straight to hell.

Adira would be lying if she said that she hadn't thought about him just a little bit. Digger Harkness was a very interesting man anyway you looked at it. She had wanted to stop in and get an update on his condition, and to check his vitals, but she'd been too busy.

Adira was exhausted and starving. She had finally begun to create a decent file system, and so far, things had been a slow burn. Every patient was different, and many of the men and woman within Belle Reve were hesitant to trust or divulge any information to her, and to her knowledge, she assumed that Ganes was to thank for that.

" **Eh**! "

A familiar voice pulled Adira from her heavy trance, and forced her to shift her gaze up from her patient's chart and to who ever was bothering her.

The snickering comment was from someone whom she'd had a hard time getting off her mind, and was a breath of fresh air; Digger Harkness.

The prisoner from the week before appeared to be doing better, the swelling in his left eye had gone down dramatically and Adira was pleased to see that he could open both of his eyes. She was also very surprised at how much bigger and taller he appeared. The last time she saw him he was a hunched over mess, bleeding continuously from his mouth and wasn't able to form a coherent thought.

So the 6ft something man, who wore a broad toothy smile and had an equally interesting attitude, was a welcome sight to see. Most of the guards she'd seen today had seemed skittish or been complete assholes, and she was beginning to understand that for some people here, her presence was unwanted.

" Mr. Harkness! " Adira's sleepy mind had been temporarily rejuvenated the moment she laid eyes on him.

" Digger sweetness, call me Digger. " His accent was much more clear now, and his voice was deeper than she remembered.

" Right, right. Digger, I've been trying to make it a point to come see you, but it's been a little crazy lately. "

Adira sighed and let a free hand run through her hair, taking a brief moment to regain her mindset and try to speak with him.

And by 'it's been a little crazy,' what she really wanted to say was **It's been a fucking mad house**. She'd never worked with prisoners in her life, and the more she tried to put a positive spin on her situation, she the angrier she got.

Dr. Ganes had practically disappeared over night. She'd tried to call him multiple times, but each time she got his receptionist or the machine. Adira knew the situation he'd left her in; he'd bolted from dinner and left her the check.

Harkness was no longer in the civilian garments that he'd come in wearing, and right now he had the same orange jumpsuit that every other inmate wore. She hadn't noticed it before, but he had a deep red, or perhaps auburn colored hair and beard. She was happy to see that he wasn't spitting up blood.

" I'll probably be over tomorrow to visit, so at least try and not get into any fights, alright ? "

Adira tried her best to put on a professional facade. What she really wanted to tell him, was to try and keep his smart Aussie mouth shut for an entire day, so she didn't have to put his fucking body back together.

" Only if'ya promise to wear a higher skirt. "

Digger shot at Adira in a quiet tone, his face twisting into a satisfied grin as he waited for a quip from her. Her answer would have to wait, as the guard escorting him had run out of patience and was done with Harkness's foul mouth. He slammed a hard hand into Digger shoulder, nearly toppling the inmate over, and leading him away from Adira before she could properly insult him.

Adira glanced down at her legs as Harkness was escorted into his cell, noticing that her legs were in fact, covered by a short pencil skirt. Realizing also, that if it was any higher, you'd be able to see her cunt, but then again, **maybe thats what he was getting at**.

" Floyd Lawton, Floyd.. " Adira spoke aloud to herself as she tried to regain the focus she had a few minutes ago.

" Langley, Hey, Dr. Langley! "

Adira pulled her face out of the file she had in her hands to greet who ever was trying to get her attention, but to her discomfort it was someone who she'd been trying to avoid; Pierce Runner.

Officer Runner had been keeping tabs on her, and although she was sure she had the other guards fooled into thinking she was completely oblivious, he wasn't. She could feel their ugly little stares and hear their snide comments. Apparently Runner was trying to make sure she didn't get too comfortable with helping all of the inmates, or maybe it was something more than that. She didn't want to have to find out, so ignoring him and pretending to walk in a different direction, was all she had.

Of course, when you're in a prison with locked doors, open hallways and multiple checkpoints, Officer Extreme Stalker, was bound to find her. He easily caught up to her not even a minute later and she played coy.

Adira forced a yawn, which in itself, brought on a real one. She effortlessly rubbed her reddening eyes and tried to hide her discomfort in him bothering her during her daily routine, but an angry scowl was all that was left in her. She took a deep breath as Runner complained that he'd been following her for a bit, and asked if she heard her name being called.

" Oh, no-no. I'm just a little sleepy, I'm sorry about that. " She lied to his face, her mind finally catching up to her and reminding her that Runner wasn't just another guard, he was one of the Head Guards, along with Griggs Landon, and if she pissed him off, her job would get a hell-of-a-lot harder. So, with perseverance and trying to not bite her tongue, she forced a smile at him and politely tilted her head.

Runner fell for it, and normally they always did. Pretending to be nice to possessive assholes was something she should have been given a fucking degree in, after all, she'd been doing it most of her academic career.

" I can talk to Dr. Ganes, I'm sure he'd let you have an extra day- "

" No, no-no-no. " Adira almost choked on her own words as she spat them out so quickly, making sure to cover as to why Dr. Ganes didn't need to be bothered.

" I really want to prove I can do this, please don't say anything. "

Adira forced a small smile and Runner smiled back in reply.

" Hey, listen I was wondering maybe tomorrow, we could get coffee- "

" Oh you know I can't do that Officer Runner, I have so many rounds to do, and besides, Waller was very clear about fraternization. "

Adira continued to walk towards the checkpoint that led into the Maximum Security Wing of the Prison.

" **Pierce** , Dr. Langley, please call me Pierce. "

Runner was too caught up in trying to court her, that he hadn't noticed that she was about to pass through a security check point and meet with a new inmate. She listened to him for a moment as he insisted that it was just coffee, and nothing else, but she knew exactly what was up. She'd been on plenty of friendly meet ups that had turned sour right after the man realized that she really was only there for coffee. No, she needed to keep this valuable asset at arms reach, so Just Coffee would have to wait.

" How about we raincheck it this time. "

Adira put her medical bag into a guards lap to go through, to which he lazily gave it back to her. They didn't care what she brought into the rooms, which was both alarming and pretty-fucking-great.

Adira quickly fled through the checkpoint, not caring if he wanted to speak to her anymore or not, she had a inmate to visit.

The prisoner who she had been slowly mulling over all day had been Floyd Lawton. Immediately, the name registered to her, as there was a young man she had grown up with through middle school, and some of high school, with the same name.

Adira stood outside the Lawton's cell, very tired and still hungry, she was irritable and her patience for the guards outside his cell was dwindling.

" It's fine, just please. " Adira spoke, bringing up a free hand and putting it over her face, trying with every ounce of her being to not go completely ape-shit on them for being utter morons. She understood why the guards were strict, but their inability to budge on simple issues was making doing her job harder than it had to be.

" I can't collect blood from him when he's in handcuffs, I had the same problem with Harkness last week. I can't do my job when you.. "

Adira's soft friendly voice had been replaced with a low, short tempered tone. She brought up her eyes from her furrowed brow and, yet again, took a deep breath. If she was rude or impatient with them, odds were they would gladly reciprocate the manor.

" Listen, honestly I need to get my files and paperwork done, and you helping me by doing this would be the best thing to happen to me today. So, please? "

Adira's face showed her honesty, and the guard that was outside Lawton's cell, finally gave in.

" Alright, but make sure you let us know- "

" I'll scream, don't worry. "

Adira spoke in a cold, vacant tone, pushing past the guard and closing the cell door behind her. There was a small eye hatch that the guards liked to use to keep an eye on the inmates, and almost immediately, it was opened. Adira had barely closed the door and already they were disrupting her. She turned and angrily shut the small hatch, before turning and forcing a smile at Inmate Floyd Lawton.

Lawton was standing at the opposite end of the cell, and Adira knew within seconds of setting her eyes on him, that by some insurmountable odds, this Floyd Lawton, was her Floyd Lawton.

" I mean, holy shit. " Lawton's voice wasn't high in volume, but Adira knew how surprised he was, because she felt the same.

Adira had Lawton sit down on his bunk that was attacked to the wall, and remain still while she drew some of his blood. She stayed silent and the moment she finished, she placed the vile into the breast pocket of her lab coat.

" You've gotten a little fatter. "

Adira playfully spat at Lawton in a low, shrewd tone, one that she could tell he greatly appreciated. He cracked a wide grin and stretched out the arm she had just drew from.

" Speaking of fatties, how's that mother of yours. "

Adira almost snorted, in combination of being over exhausted and forgetting to take in a deep enough breath, she had forgotten how outright rude Lawton could be. Both Adira and Lawton knew how thin and small her Japanese mother was, which made the crack that much funnier.

" You're still such a prick, huh. "

Adira sighed and relaxed onto the bed next to Lawton, her entire body feeling as though it was going to melt against the solid concrete wall that held her up. Lawton sat next to her and sighed, casually shaking his head up and down.

" Rough Day. "

Lawton shot at Adira, as though her situation was worse than his. She couldn't help but broadly smile and laugh quietly to herself.

" Its like I practically live here, oh wait. "

Adira spoke, cracking a joke at Lawton, making sure to glance over to him and look for any kind of reaction, which she was not left in disappointment, as Lawton let out his first full laugh since she'd arrived at his cell.

" I haven't seen you in almost ten years, I can't believe you're the infamous Deadshot. "

Adira spoke to herself, her focus lifting from the room she was in, as she remembered reading a little about Lawton in one of the files Waller had given her.

" Oh, so I'm a bad guy because I kill people for money, meanwhile you're out there, " Lawton paused, bringing up his body and matching eyes with Adira, " killing folks at your school. "

Adira's eyes widened as her full lips pursed together, not realizing that anyone this far south had even remotely known about her small scuffle with the law in med. school. Lawton appeared to be enjoying himself, and Adira tried to change the subject by staying silent and sifting through her medical bag, eventually settling on a pair of blue surgical gloves.

" I recognized your name in the local paper, back then I was upstate, and to say that it was surprise- well that'd be an outright lie, you've always been crazy. "

Adira's tired body didn't have the normal energy to spew hateful comments or defend herself, instead she submissively sighed and tried to change the subject.

" I heard you have a kid, that's not too surprising, seeing as how much of a whore you've always- "

" Dr. **Venom** , " Lawton interrupted Adira's poor attempt to change the mood of the room, and Adira's hands dropped to her sides in defeat.

" Yeah-yeah, that's what they called you in the papers.. That's some crazy shit, killing your college professor and - "

Adira abruptly turned to Lawton and shoved her gloved hands into his mouth, prodding around and causing him to nearly slap her hands away. She brought up his lips and looked at his gums on the top and bottom of his mouth before withdrawing her hands and then quickly snatching one of his hands, noticing that one of his nails had come off, and some others were on their way.

" What's the last thing you ate? "

Adira spoke in a calm tone, genuinely curious. Lawton was slow to reply as he seemed to be calculating something in his head.

" Some boiled potatoes, I think-I-mean you can never really tell what the shit is that they feed us. "

Adira's eyes intensified for a moment as she processed what Lawton was telling her and compared it to his current state. Without another word she hastily pulled off the rubber protective gloves and tossed them to the floor. She then fished through her medical bag and pulled out a small plastic bag and a small vile with an off yellow liquid in it.

Swiftly and with care, she effortlessly opened the small bag to reveal a syringe and withdrew some of the liquid from the vile. Lawton was just as quick as her, immediately noticing the vile, he leapt up from his seat, and for a split second, Adira realized she wasn't in the room with the teenage boy she'd gone to school with, but instead, she was in a prison cell with a criminal.

There was something primal in Lawton's face, as though he'd been threatened and was prepared to defend himself at any means necessary, which left Adira feeling beyond helpless and vulnerable. She was frozen still, holding the vile in one hand and the syringe in the other, waiting to see exactly what Lawton was going to do.

" Aint no'body gunna shoot me up with something, Nah, I've played this game before, It's- "

" - a multi-vitamin shot. "

Adira interrupted Lawton's extreme paranoia with an overwhelmingly simplistic answer. She wasn't trying to poison him, but clearly, another doctor had tried.

" You have the beginning of whats called scurvy, which is almost unheard of in America, but I'm guessing you haven't had any fruits of vegetables in a while, so you're feeling a little tired. Maybe your gums and jaw have been bothering you for no reason, and your nails have begun to pop off. "

Adira spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, trying to quell any bad intentions that Lawton might have thought she was concocting. Slowly, he lowered his guard, and she watched as a small wave of relief swept over him.

" You really are crazy, huh? "

Adira smirked at him, and Lawton slowly made his way over to where she was, sitting next to her again and clearing his throat. She bent over towards his arm, glancing up one last time to make sure it was alright, before injecting him with the liquid just moments later.

She put the used syringe into a bright red hazard zip-lock and put it back into her bag, before taking out a small bottle of water. She handed the bottle to him and rummaged through her bag for something.

She didn't see him, but she could hear him loudly smacking his lips and quietly laughed to herself. " Thats what the water is for, you're tasting the B12 in the vitamin. "

Finally she found what she was looking for, which was in a small discolored box.

" So this may or may not have been in my bag for a few months, but it's still fine. "

Adira spoke, handing the half empty containers to Lawton, who was hesitant to pick it up.

" You should probably hide it though, I don't think I'm allowed to just give you things to have in your cell. "

Adira spoke in a quiet voice, glancing at Lawton's cell door for a moment, before continuing with an explanation for what the impromptu gift was.

" It's EmergenC, it's basically, just vitamin C and some essential minerals and vitamins. I'm not going to be able to give you a daily shot for the next week, I'm too busy.. But if you put that in your water, you'll start to feel a lot better. "

Adira made an obnoxious face at Lawton and she watched as the entire atmosphere around him changed, and he looked more like a person than an inmate.

It wasn't even a moment later that the prison guard was knocking at the door, insisting that it was time for her to leave, and for lights out.

" Lights out, its.." Adira pulled back her lab coat and looked at her watch, which alerted her to it being nearly 9:30 at night.

" Fuck. "

Adira spat in an angry tone and Lawton resisted a laugh as the guard outside hurried her out of the cell and she prepared to go home, just to come back in again in the morning.


	5. A Handsome Afterthought

What had started out as completely fucking-impossible and hopeless, had actually turned into something bearable, and if she was honest with herself, quite comforting. The extreme weight of juggling the maximum security inmates and the eighty-plus regular prisoners, had lessened some. By month two of working at Belle Reve Penitentiary, she'd managed to comfortably see over thirty people daily, and some of the guards had gotten comfortable enough with her that they'd come to her with old injuries and new ones. There were still a good chunk of the main guard staff that didn't sit well with her, but she was comfortable enough now to do what ever she knew needed to be done.

She'd visited two MetaHumans, one Named Chato Santana, who could summon fire at will, and another who was a cross species human-crocodile hybrid. She was never allowed to visit either of these inmates unsupervised, and from a rational standpoint, she got why.

Santana was a fascinating subject, as she never met a meta human that could do such extraordinary things. He was very quiet their first visit, but their next appearance together, he was more candid, referring to how much of a saint she was compared to Ganes, whom had all but completely disappeared. Waylon Jones, or as the guard staff liked to affectionately call him, Killer Croc, wasn't happy to have visitors, but much like Santana, after a few visits, had gotten more comfortable with her and had even managed to speak a few words to her, which she would graciously take.

George Harkness had slowly and surely become her favorite patient to meet, and she had tried to make it a point to visit him a few days a week.

Adira, like most doctors, was a little depraved and Harkness was happy to be the light that guided her into that warm, cynical abyss. It wasn't just the way he spoke to her, it was his entire being and the atmosphere around him. Most of the inmates, at least the ones that were best known for their terrible deeds, had sunk into a deep depression or given up their friendly banter entirely, where as Harkness had never seemed to of lost it.

Waller had called her around noon that day to discuss Dr. Ganes, and the new responsibilities that had come with his disappearance. She'd wondered where the 'unethical pile of trash in a lab coat' had gone to, and her imagination was more than happy to give her many different vivid explanations.

She'd only met Ganes a total of five times, and each time he was off his fucking rocker. Adira knew that much of a doctors character could be summed up how he treats his patients. Some doctors treated the wealthy differently than the poor, and some would get too handsy with their female patients, and while she had originally tried to give Ganes the benefit of the doubt, the longer she was in his presence and the more stories she heard from the inmates, the more she understood what a huge piece of shit he truly was.

He wasn't unethical in a sense of right or wrong, Ganes had gained his own definition of **insane**. Adira had learned of the multiple illegal experiments that he'd conducted on the longer sentenced inmates within Belle Reeve, and the ongoing list of female inmates that had up and disappeared.

 **No** , Ganes wasn't a doctor, he was a **fucking monster** , and she was glad that she hadn't heard his name in over a month. Not until Amamda Waller had decided to call her.

* * *

" Unfortunately, Dr. Ganes is going to be on an extended leave, I'm sure you're already well aware of his absence. I'm just letting you know that until we find another suitable replacement, your going to be on your own. "

Adira tried not to snort through the phone and into Waller's ear. She contained herself, fully hoping that the maniac was getting everything he deserved.

" That's fine, I did need to speak with you about the inmates, particularly the ones within the Maximum Security Wing of the prison. "

Adira paused, half expecting Waller to completely, and outright, say no before she even had a chance to ask anything.

" I need more wiggle room with them, it's difficult to do a full physical or draw blood when they are chained to a wall. I'm not naive, I know how dangerous these people are, I just need you to let the guards know that I can't have them riding my back through examinations. It's, just a little frustrating. "

There was a short but uncomfortable silence between Adira and Waller, followed by a small sigh.

" I'll see what I can do."

* * *

The guards were hesitant at first, but Adira was persistent with getting to know her patients in a more personal setting. At first the guards outright refused to uncuff the prisoners, but after a phone call with Amanda Waller, they changed their tone.

" They could kill you, ya'know. In the forty seconds or-so that it is going to take us to get back into the cell, they could overthrow what ever kind of, **sciency** -shit you're trying to do. "

Runner was like a persistent parasite, constantly questioning her every move, and along the way, always reminding her how much danger she was in.

" Sciency shit. "

The corner of Adira's mouth hesitantly peaked up, as she tried not to smile. Runner had brought her more comedic relief than he could ever know.

" I'm not a child Runner. "

Adira playfully spat at him as they continued walking the halls at Belle Reve.

" Look, all I'm saying, is that all that separates your 110 lb self and those scumbags, are those chains. "

" A hundred-and-Thirty. "

Adira corrected him as they passed through the last checkpoint that led to the Maximum Security Wing. She knew what he was saying, and its not like she was naive enough to think that these hardened criminals would just be cool with her treating them without restraint, but she did take the Hippocratic Oath when she became a doctor. She'd promised to treat people, whether they were rich or poor, and regardless of social status. Of course it wasn't just that, she genuinely enjoyed getting to know the prisoners, especially those at the MSW of the prison. The Prisoners there were more interesting and, to be honest, treated her with more respect then the regular inmates.

" If any of them lay a hand on you, -"

" You'll what, put them in prison? "

Adira joked at Runner, as the two of them parted ways. He didn't have a snappy comeback, instead he simply gave her an unsatisfied look, not appreciating her sarcastic wit.

* * *

Harkness acted strangely the first time he was allowed to be in a cell with her without restraints. He refused to sit, and cautiously paced throughout the small cell that he was being held in. Adira on the other hand had been in heels all day and was more than happy to sit while they briefly spoke.

" So I think last time we met, you mentioned that you have an allergy.. "

Adira spoke in a light, friendly and professional tone. She had finally begun to build up a file system on most of the inmates, but Digger was very persistent in keeping details about himself, to himself. She had tried to get his attention for almost five minutes before she began to become a little impatient.

" Stop being weird. "

Adira's professional tone had lessened some, as the uncomfortable look on Harkness's face grew more severe, and it looked like he was going to have some kind of paranoid breakdown.

" Do I need to sedate you? "

The expression on Digger's face lessened some as a small smile crept across his face, " Don't threaten me with'a good time luv'. "

Adira looked over her shoulder as a smile spread across her face, **There he was**.

The foulmouthed, rowdy man who was persistent with asking her inappropriate favors and had an attractive Australian accent to go with it, had finally begun to settle down.

" It's something I spoke to Waller about. I want to be able to treat all of you without restraints. It makes it more, " she paused, trying to think of the right word, " fluid. "

" _Fluid?_ " Harkness scoffed at her use of words, " Whatt'a load of shit. "

Adira flipped through some of the papers she had on him, still seeing more blank spots than ones filled out. She had been seeing him occasionally for two months and barely knew anything about him.

" Please sit down I only have another, " Adira glanced at her wrist and held in a soft sigh, " fifteen minutes. " Adira pleaded quietly from her sitting position, she had slipped her shoes off some, and her thin stockings were visible over her feet. She took a deep breath and ran a free hand through her hair, trying to mull over which questions she figured she could get out of him today.

Harkness had finally given in and paced his way over to his bed, letting the entirety of his body weight hit the bunk as it nearly broke.

" Your'uh, not afraid I'll shank ya, or somethin' else that prisoners do? "

" I doubt you'd try to hurt the only doctor in here that hasn't tried to harm you. I mean, we could try to get Dr. Ganes back in here, I know how much you liked him. "

Digger snickered at her comment and relaxed his body back against the wall, waiting just a moment for a snappy comeback.

" Your a lot nicer to look at darl'n. "

Adira took a deep breath and pursed her lips together, trying not to smile as she looked up from her clipboard and at him.

George Harkness was tall, strong man. He had a few tattoos on his forearms and far too many scars for her to even begin to ask. This last time she had visited him, his short curled hair had gotten a little longer, and the already thick hair along his jaw and face had filled out. He still had dark circles underneath his eyes, although she was sure he hadn't been in any altercations, she assumed that perhaps those were just hereditary.

She had ignored it at first, seeing it as a caring instinct that had taken over when they had first met. But seeing him more and more daily, she'd realized that she was attracted to him. A sentiment she'd forever keep to herself, knowing how fast things could get out of hand if someone, somehow found out.

Adira's wandering eyes fell down to his hands, realizing something that she hadn't noticed before, mostly because his wrists were always in cuffs. She set her clipboard next to her on a table, and slipped her feet back into her shoes, before scuttling her rolling chair closer to where he was sitting.

Digger didn't flinch or say much a first, he simply watched her slowly creep closer to him, she finally stopped, reaching out to touch his hands.

" JESUS! "

Digger withdrew his hands from her touch, practically screaming at her and causing her to jump out of her skin.

" What-what-what! "

Adira's heart was in her throat as she felt the unfamiliar feeling of fright creep up her back. Her hands were up and alert, as though a bomb was about to go off.

" Your fuckin'hands are freezing. "

Digger spat at her, a large toothy smile spreading across his face.

" You still haven't answered my questions Digger. "

Adira had asked him numerous different health questions in the last fifteen minutes they had together, only to be given the run around. He had tried to get bribes from her, today it was a beer and a hot shower for any answers on his allergies or his parents medical history.

" You haven't answered mine either, luv. " Digger's voice was snide but calm, and he made sure to smile at her as he spoke.

" I'm not sneaking you in a beer. "

Adira paused as she let her clipboard rest against her chest for a moment.

" I can probably get the guards to let you use the shower tomorrow morning, but only if you tell me what you're allergic to. "

The promise of something remotely civilized had Digger question himself, and Adira could see his face soften some as he mulled the trade over. He pulled himself forwards from sitting against the wall, abruptly leaning forwards, nearly hitting into Adira.

" Shellfish sweetness, I'm allergic to shellfish. "

Adira pulled up her head to notice how close Digger was to her. His face was maybe a foot from hers, and she could see the flecks of green and blue that made up the iris's in his eyes. The corner of the right side of his mouth was inched up slightly, as though he was resisting a smile.

" Say, Luv'. What's your first name. "

Digger's voice was deep and low, and Adira could feel her chest begin to tighten as he spoke to her, the fine hairs on the back of her neck began to stand on end as her body began to overheat.

" That wouldn't be very professional of me, Digger "

Adira spoke in a clear, quiet tone, trying to hold onto the control in the conversation, and not breaking eye contact with him.

Digger's charm, if thats even what you could call it, had distracted her enough that she had been too focused on his alluring eyes to notice one of his hands stray forwards. She should have jumped backwards, flinching from the mere touch of him, but instead her legs remained still as the tips of his fingers, on one of his hands, lightly traced her knee.

There was a loud knock on Digger's cell door, prompting Adira to temporarily phase out of whatever kind of trance she was in, and slap Digger's hand with her clipboard, before quickly growing to her feet. Digger temporarily groaned from the unpleasant sting of Adira's attack, which immediately stopped the moment he realized she was getting up to leave.

Adira took a deep breath, shooting Digger a hard glare before using two fingers to briefly point at her eyes and then his, phrasing that she was watching him.

Neither of them spoke to the other as she left, and Adira would wait until Harkness's cell was closed before mentioning to the guard that Digger needed to have access to the shower in the morning, making sure to list off numerous medical BS reasons as to why.

Harkness was smiling from ear to ear before she left, and she was still a little startled from him being so physical with her. She wouldn't realize it until the ride home, that it had affected her.

While she was focused on the road, one of her free hands rested on her leg, as slowly, and ceaselessly, the tips of her fingers touched the spot that he'd touched just a few hours before.


	6. The Chase

_This chapter is Hella long, but the good news is, I'm probably going to jump into the nastier stuff in the upcoming chapters, so get excited for that! I've had a few people reach out to me and be very wonderful and supportive of this book, so thank you for all the love, it brightens up my bitchy ass._

 _I would just like to add, that if you have a **Wattpad** , you should follow this story on there also! I use gifs, and images to brighten up the story and it makes it a much more fun experience to read! Follow me there under the username **The Sunny Chan**_

* * *

" Your body is **amazing**. "

Adira spoke in an excited tone, her tawny colored eyes seemed to light up as rays from the sun glinted against them. Her pale complexion getting a healthy dose of vitamin D as the sun illuminated her face. She sat at a metal bench in an open courtyard that was monitored by guards. They had insisted that he was cuffed for her protection, but she knew that if he ever wanted to, Santana could burn her to a crisp.

She fucking loved meeting with this meta human. Everything about Chato was interesting from a medical standpoint. Not only could he summon fire at will, but his body could regenerate at an alarming rate. He'd been very uneasy about divulging any information about himself, much like all of the other inmates, but after a handful of visits and a few lewd jokes, he'd opened up.

" Excuse me ? "

Chato was confined to metal cuffs that were attached to a concrete bench just outside his cell. The outside yard was surrounded by guards that monitored their every move, which Adira had pointed out multiple times, was absolutely-fucking-ridiculous. If he wanted to torch her to bits, he would have, the extra measures were a waste.

There were guards posted at each corner of the outside recreation area, all of them having an industrial grade water hose, just incase he decided to go all Dante's Inferno on them.

" Oh no-no-no. "

Adira let her head fall down into her arms, which rested against the flat surface of the concrete table. Her exhaustion had caught up to her in the form of dysphasia. She was having trouble using her words due to her fatigue. She began to chuckle quietly, which in turn, turned into a small laughing fit.

" Dr. Langley, you-you alright? "

Chato's uneasiness pulled Adira from her temporary stupor, causing her to clear her throat and slowly pull her head from the table.

" I am, so sorry. "

She tried to apologize, and was surprised to see him smiling at her when she finally managed to compose herself.

" Long week? "

" You, have no idea. It's like I never go home, I'm here all the, " Adira realized what she was saying, but it was too late, " time. "

She took a deep breath, realizing how inconsiderate she was being, she was whining because she was working 70 hour weeks at the prison, while he had to be here all day every day, living in this nightmare.

Chato laughed to himself, and shook his head, silently showing her that it was alright. Adira was quick to change the subject, as she took a deep, cleansing breath of fresh air and began to read from the chart that was attached to a clipboard and sitting on the concrete table.

She hadn't really thought about it, but her exposure to the sun had been limited, and although it was almost the middle of November, in southern Louisiana, it was still pretty nice out. The warmth from the sun brought a small amount of happiness into her day, and it showed through the way she dealt with the inmates.

" I sent a sample of your blood to a fellow physician and friend in Central City, and we were both amazed by what we found. " Adira paused for affect, trying to hide the growing smile on her face as her fingers impatiently taped the table.

Chato brought up his cuffed hands, trying to speed her along, but it didn't matter, because she was too excited to keep the information to herself.

" So, at first I thought that maybe your skin and bones, well no, your whole body, was fire retardant, **BUT-** but, " Adira paused as she nearly lost her breath, and realized she was getting overexcited about something that probably wasn't that interesting to the pyromaniac.

" Your cells regenerate at a level I have never, in my professional career, ever seen. It's something we call latent-regeneration. So, your powers peaked when you were an adolescent, and now as an adult, you can-within-reason, live for a very, very long time. "

Adira had the medical transcript from the DNA, but she was sure that Chato wouldn't care what it said.

" You're what the media calls, a **Meta Human**. You're abilities are unique and your own, and unlike many that were affected by the particle accelerator mishap in Central City, your mutation was natural. Your DNA mutated, causing this to happen. "

Adira's excitement had boiled over and as she awaited for a reaction from Chatos, but all she really got was silence.

" So, you think this is some kind of, uh.." Chato spoke in a dismal tone, and Adira could immediately tell, that he wasn't surprised by the news.

" An anomaly. "

Adira interrupted him, hoping that perhaps Chato would realize what an extraordinary feat it was that his body had manifested these abilities, but he still seemed unfazed.

" This isn't some gift, Dr. Langley, it's a curse. "

Adira's elated expression dipped some as she remembered some of the stories that she guards had told her, the big one being that Chato had accidentally killed his entire family by burning them to death.

Adira didn't say anything for a few moments, she closed her eyes as a fleeting feeling of relief crashed over her, and a warm wave of air blew past her. She took a deep breath and pushed a small smirk across her lips, intent on changing the subject. This guy was being the biggest buzz kill. She did feel terrible about his family, but it did seem that any chance he got, Chato reminded her that he deserved to be in Belle Reve, and that he was a monster. She knew what he had done, and the type of life he used to live, and she had also considered that she was being a bit too naive with him. Pushing him towards this soft, plush outlook on his life. So for now, she'd change the subject.

" Did you know, that I can't stand the smell of swamps. I fucking **hate it-and** do you know what this entire prison smells like. "

Adira spoke candidly to Chato, and he tried to answer her but she interrupted him.

" A swam-"

" A swamp. This whole fucking place, smells like an alligators ass. "

Chatos laughed for, what she was sure, the first real time in front of her. She knew that she needed to build stronger files on the inmates, but the easiest way to get them to open up to her would be speaking to them like humans, and not some kind of robot doctor.

" You picked the wrong place, lady. "

Chato's Spanish accent peaked through as he spoke and it caused her to almost snort as she held in a laugh. He had been one of the most closed off inmates in the entire prison, and for him to crack a joke at her, made her dreary day just a little bit more bearable.

* * *

" Eh, Sweetness. "

A familiar Australian voice seemed to melt beautifully against her consciousness, as she instinctively turned to face George Harkness. Two guards were escorting Harkness from somewhere and to his cell.

Digger was taller than the two guards that were escorting him, and as he came to as stop, so did the chains that were holding his wrists behind his back. His small quip at the doctor had prompted one of the guards to roughly smack the back of his head, and briefly she saw an expression of animosity flash across his face as he looked behind him.

Adira was almost done with her third soda of the day, and was finishing the other half of her sandwich when Digger happened to pass by her, and to her dismay, he had a black eye. She'd been away from him for two days, what could have possibly happened?

" Really, what happened to you? "

Adira finished the mouthful of food that she was chewing before speaking, shooting a look of concern at Digger, while also looking at the guards with caution.

" Jus'a little misunderstanding. "

Digger winked at Adira and she immediately felt that uncomfortable feeling of her body overreacting. Her chest began to tighten and her heart felt heavy. She looked to the guards who provided her with no answers and were swift to remind Adira that she was not their Boss.

" Excellent. "

Adira snidely spoke to them, making sure they knew she was being sarcastic. She had been polite and coy her first two months in this shithole, not wanting to step on any toes or insult any of the unnerved guards, or their tiny dicks. How the fuck can you be so macho **all the time?**

" No more fights, not without letting me know so I can at least make sure no one gets hurt. "

" Round five t'night luv, I think ole fuck-fingers here, wants to have a physical chat with me. Ain't that right Dorthy? "

Harkness's complete and utter lack of respect for the guards put them further on edge, but Adira was quick to mediate.

" I'm bringing popcorn so don't let me down. "

Digger's mouth twisted into a broad smile as he shifted his eyes from hers, and to the ground below him.

The guard was impatient with their chatting and scuffed Digger in the back of the knee, causing him to nearly topple over. Adira didn't have time to say something sly, because before she knew it, they were shuffling him off and out of sight.

Lately, she'd been able to leave the prison around five, maybe six. She'd decided to stay just a bit longer to see if what Digger mentioned earlier, was true.

" Dr. Langley. "

Adira had been doing busy work, checking up on some of the less dangerous inmates when Pierce Runner had decided to make an impromptu move on her.

If she was honest, and normally she always was, Runner scared the shit out of her. She'd caught him on multiple occasions being the ring leader in different fights, pitting inmates against one another for money, and just lately, he'd been much more persistent with pursuing her. Her creep-dar had always been spot on, it'd been spot on when she was in college and when she'd met Dr. Ganes, and she was sure that right now, it was too.

" Adira. "

Runner said her name informally to her, and normally she wouldn't mind someone being so comfortable with her, that they address her by her first name. But, Runner wasn't someone she wanted to be too comfortable with her. She didn't like his attitude or behavior, so ignoring him had proved to be the best method.

Adira hesitantly paused in the middle of the quiet hallway, her heels coming to slow stop as she ran scenarios in her head.

Running would do her no good, and pretending he wasn't there had only seemed to make him more angry. With her options becoming less and less by the minute, eventually she had to turn to face him.

Adira nervously stuffed her hands into the pockets of her lab coat and quietly turned to face him. Runner was practically next to her by the time she turned around, startling her.

" Woah, woah, **I'm sorry if I scared you.** "

Runners words were ironic to say the least.

* * *

" You know, you ought to be careful, you spending so much time with these, uh. " Runner paused, licking his lips and trying to brainstorm, " scumbags. "

Runner's face twisted some, and Adira could feel the skin on the back of her neck begin to goosebumps as her body realized the situation before consciousness could.

She hadn't noticed exactly how empty the hall was until her amber colored eyes frantically looked around, trying to find anyone who would help her if things got out of hand.

 **There were no guards** **on this floor,** **who were duty.**

Are you fucking kidding me!?

There were always people in the hallways, whether it was guards or staff, but right now, by what she was sure was not just chance, there was no one.

" I'm a doctor, that's kind of what I do. I help people. "

Adira spoke in a calm, clear tone, not wanting to excite him.

" There it is, that fucking attitude of yours. " Runner spoke in low, condescending tone as a small, growing smirk flashed across his face.

" You'd be smart treating the guards with more respect, Adira. "

As Runner grew closer to her, his entire body language began to change. His shoulders seemed to broaden as his neck stiffened, and that fucking smile. Adira could feel a strong, uneasy pull in the pit of her stomach.

" Don't fucking call me that. "

Adira spat at Runner, her body now backed up against a wall in the hallway. Her breaths were short and irregular as a complete feeling of fear took over her.

There was a deafening silence between them, after she spoke. Her feet inching just slightly as she backed further away from him, just to realize that she was against a cold hard wall. Her mind was running a million miles an hour, trying to rationalize why there weren't any guards around her, and that maybe her feeling of fear was just an over reaction; that there was no way he would try to do anything to her, especially without her consent.

In one motion, the two of them moved.

Adira pulled one of her hands from her pocket, revealing a metal scalpel, and at the same time, Runner lunged forwards, using his weight and strength to pin her against the wall. He slammed both of her arms against the wall and pressed his chest and hips against her body. Adira hadn't realized that her breathing had become incredibly labored and short, as her mind began to race around, trying to figure a way out.

Runner had her pinned up against a wall in the hallway of the prison, and had immediately noticed the incredibly sharp metallic instrument in her hand. Without much effort he pulled back her wrist, away from the wall, before then slamming it back against the same wall, causing her to drop the scalpel. The instrument fell and let off a small lasting ting sound as it connected with the hard tiled floor. However, even after she dropped the tool, he continued to squeeze her wrist. His hand was almost twice as big as hers, and his fingers easily laced around her wrist and hand, squeezing the muscles and skin until she physically couldn't take it any more.

A small whimper involuntarily came out of her mouth, as she tried to scream at him to stop. She tried to fidget away, but he was careful to pull her body towards him and then slam her off of the wall again, this time causing her head to crack against the dense concrete.

" You fucking cunt! "

Adira managed to scream at Runner, cursing at him as she held in the hot tears that wanted to fall down her flushed cheeks. There was no way she'd give him the satisfaction of some kind of physical response. She wanted to punch him in his fucking throat and run away, but then to where? There were no guards on duty within the long stretch of hallway that they were in, and even then what? They would probably be in on whatever kind of sick-fucking-party Runner had planned for her.

One of Runner's hands retracted from one of her wrists and tightly squeezed her jaw, as he moved his face closer to hers, spitting on her as he spoke.

" I'd watch your fucking mouth, " Runner spoke against her bare face and exposed neck, and Adira could feel his hips press harder against her, as he pushed a very unwelcome surprise against her leg.

Every single time she'd spoke to him- every single thought, or bad feeling of intuition that her body had gotten from him; all of them flashed over her subconscious as she realized how much danger she was in. Runner had most of the prison under his thumb, and that the reason why most of the guards weren't here, was because he had made sure there was no one to help her.

Adira tried to struggle again, but her strength was almost gone, and Runner was more than happy to press himself further against her.

" Hey, whats going on out there? "

There was a muffled voice behind a prison door that Adira didn't hear or recognize at first. Runner completely ignored the voice and tried to slip the same hand that had just held her face, down to her skirt. She resisted what she could, but Runner was impatient with how insubordinate she was being. He squeezed the hand that held her hand a little harder, nearly breaking the bones in her hand and wrist as she tired to get away. The moment he began to constrict her wrist again, she let out a loud breath, gasping for air as she refused to cry for him and tightly bit her bottom lip.

Her frantic gaze shifted down to his side, where a firearm was fasted against his hip. Although everyone in the prison knew she was a doctor, she was also a skilled marksman. She was a military brat, and had grown up around guns, and even though it had been a few years, **right now** , she was sure she could shoot him square in the fucking head.

" You've always wanted this, you fucking tease. "

Runner mocked her, insisting that his motives were driven from her indecent actions, but she knew this game all to well. She'd had men say shit like this to her before. Blaming her for trying to rape or beat her, not taking any responsibility themselves.

Without notice there was a loud alarm that began to go off in the empty halls of the MSW of the prison. Runner immediately lifted off of her, looking around startled and confused.

Griggs Landon came flying around the corner of the long hallway, screaming for Runner, and rushing towards them. It wasn't until he got a clear look at both Runner and Adira that he paused, looking incredibly confused and surprised.

Griggs was the only other Prison Guard that had pull within Belle Reve. Both him and Runner ran the day to day, and although Griggs was a bit skeezy, she had never really had a big problem with him.

" Saved by the bell. "

Runner barked at Adira in a low tone, releasing her wrist and pulling his weight off of her. He gave her one last lingering look before rushing towards Griggs and disappearing around the corner.

There were alarms that were going off every few seconds, setting of flashes of red as each ring went off. Griggs hadn't followed Runner, instead he'd stood around idle for a few moments, not taking his eyes of off her.

" Adira. "

" Just, go. "

Griggs had showed, for what she was sure was the first time, a bit of remorsefulness. He looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn't manage the words.

" GO! "

Adira tried to scream at him, but her voice cracked, causing her to sound painfully weak. But, even so, Griggs backed off and let his eyes finally leave her, as he left and turned the corner of the hall.

Everything hit her at once, and the wave of emotional exhaustion and anger, fueled her into a sobbing collapse. She fell to the floor in an uneven spill, her legs and arms sliding out against the tile as she had a brief breaking moment. Adira sobbed loudly for just a moment as she felt the pain in her hand grow. She was almost positive that Runner had broken her fucking wrist.

" Adira?! Hey, is that you? "

Adira's sobs softened as she began to become coherent again, her bloodshot eyes opening briefly as she recognized the voice. The person who was calling to her was behind a thick, metal door, and that voice belonged to Floyd Lawton.

Adira didn't answer the voice, and as her irregular, hard breaths for air became longer and deeper, she realized she needed to leave the prison before he came back or someone saw her.

At some point her shoes had come off, and some of her belongings had fallen from her lab coat and to the floor. With a deep breath she scurried along the dirty tiles of the floor, clumsily grabbing at the scalpel and her heels before somehow managing to get to her feet.

" What did he do to you?! ADIRA, what did he do to you? "

Adira listened as Lawton's voice became louder, as an angry 'thump,' followed soon after. Lawton hit against his cell and continued to press her, but she didn't respond. Without another word she scrambled from the hall and to her car, holding in her fear and anger until she was safe at home.


	7. The Ugly Parts

The few days after getting assaulted by Runner, were incredibly rough.

She'd contemplated on whether to quit her job, to call Waller and explain what had happened **or to try and ignore it.** She hated confrontation, and she knew how much of a coward that made her. She wanted to gut him, every ounce of her wanted to walk into that prison and fucking kill him, but she knew that wasn't going to happen.

What had happened, was less exciting. She'd taken three days off from work, and called Waller. The big boss herself was out for the week, and when she had insisted on how important it was that she get ahold of Waller, Adira was scoffed at and hung up on. Calling the police wouldn't resolve much, she knew the prison staff would be behind Runner, and with her luck, the spotty cameras within the prison, would somehow 'not work' when she needed the evidence.

Her only option left was the cowards way out, which involved uprooting her tight schedule from 7am-5pm and shifting it to when he wasn't at the prison, which was from 9pm to 8am. The new schedule would make it less ideal for the inmates, but in order for her to do her job and not run into that crazy, rapist psycho, she had to reevaluate her priorities. She would still be able to do everything she normally did, but her sleep schedule would change.

Waller's assistant had given her the run around, and the cellphone number she had for her, wasn't working either. She'd tried to call twice after she came back, each time getting less and less of a reason, and more of an excuse.

But, there was a silver lining. The night shift at the prison was much quieter than the day shift. Where during the day, there were rowdy inmates and testosterone fueled guards, at night, there was a minimal guard staff and most of the inmates were less combative.

Adira's sleep schedule was still adjusting, and she had to take sleeping pills to push her into a deep sleep during the day and at night, she survived on coffee and sugary snacks. The combination of which had caused her to have some very vivid day dreams and a few accidental naps in her office.

She was supposed to visit Floyd Lawton during her rounds, but had decided to skip him her first day back. She wasn't ready for the full onslaught of questions and anger that she was sure Lawton had been keeping bottled up for her. In all honesty she wasn't ready to talk to anyone about it yet, so for now, visiting him would have to wait.

The Maximum Security Inmates were surprisingly okay with her visiting at all hours of the night, and she was pleasantly surprised with how much more lenient the guard staff was with her at night, rather than during the day. Although they didn't pat her down, they had been getting progressively more strict with her twenty minute windows with the patients, not letting her stay any longer than she was legally mandated. While the night staff was overjoyed with having an extra hand to help with things at night, and let her visit the patients for as long as she wanted.

There was one person who she had been hesitant to see, but knew she couldn't put it off. That person being **Digger Harkness**.

Harkness had left a lasting impression on her, and she felt an uneasy knot in her stomach begin to grow, the longer she thought about him. She had gotten most of the medical information she needed from him, for the the most part. So any visits from her would now be more informal than absolutely necessary. But, even still, she wanted to see him.

It was almost three in the morning when she had ventured to his cell, and she had made sure to quietly stand outside while a guard unlocked the door to his cell, and let her disappear inside.

Harkness was groggy, but Adira could tell he hadn't been to sleep yet. He sat on his bunk, while his eyes lazily followed her from the door and to a chair just adjacent from him.

" I've had this dream before. "

Digger's voice was low and it began to crack as the volume went up. He managed to smile at her as she approached him, showing his teeth as he did so.

" You'll have to tell me how it ends. "

Adira playfully shot back at him before sitting down. She'd immediately noticed that the thick line of hair that was normally along his jaw, was gone, and it appeared that someone had cut his hair as well. She wasn't used to his less roughed up look, but without the hair, she could see his strong jaw line and his handsome facial features.

She placed her chart onto a table that was right next to her, and focused her attention on Harkness. She watched him relax into the wall behind him and take a few deep, quiet breaths while his eyes closed. For a moment she thought he might of fallen asleep.

" Digger, If your too tired I can always-"

" Nah-luv, I'm-I'm fine. "

Digger's voice was abnormally soft, and Adira was a little taken aback by how gentle the normally rough and rowdy Aussie, was being. She quietly smiled to herself, unknowingly satisfied with seeing a different side to him, one that was much less rigid.

" I think we left off on allergies last time, what about your parents? "

Digger's eyes stayed closed as he spoke, and he cleared his throat.

" You never told me what'yor first name was. "

Digger's rebuttal only prolonged answers for her charts and brought on, what she was sure, was the beginning of a headache. The expression on her face dropped to a unsettled glare. She was sure he knew exactly what information she needed, and wasn't completely sure why he was being so difficult about it. She thought about threatening him with something, but he was twisted enough that anything she might propose, he'd probably enjoy it.

" You first. "

Digger's arms were crossed across his chest, and as Adira spoke against his wishes, a satisfied smirk crossed his face. He still sat against the wall in his cell, uncuffed and with his eyes closed. For a few moments she thought he had nodded off, but he shot back as quickly as he could.

" New schedule, Dr. Langley? "

The mention of her name in such a formal manner made her uneasy when she heard it come out of his mouth. For a moment she struggled with just telling him it, because after all, what could it hurt?

" **Adira** , " She spoke in a sigh, not wanting to succumb to his mind games, but doing it anyway.

" My name is Adira. "

Digger's eyes opened just slightly as he took a deep breath, and continued his train of thought in silence. She was a little unnerved by his uncharacteristically quiet demeanor, but continued what she came here to do nonetheless.

Digger's eyes lazily peaked open again, revealing their startling bright, mixed hues of blue and green.

"Adira. " Digger spoke aloud, and Adira warmly smiled at him, containing a laugh. The way he produced her name, it sounded like Ah-Drear-Uh.

" Ah-Deer-Uh. "

Adira spoke, sounding out her name in syllables. He said her name again, and this time with his Australian accent, it sounded perfect.

She had finally gotten a little information about his parents from him and some of medical history. Digger was born to an Australian mother, and his biological father lived in America. Both of which were still alive. He had broken over a dozen bones, and much to her dismay, she found out that he'd had over ten different concussions.

" Any ugly parts you want to tell me about. "

Adira spoke informally to him, she was sitting on a swiveling stool that was just a few feet from where Digger was almost falling asleep. She jotted down everything she'd found out about him, and was surprised by much of his medical history.

She wanted to ask him how the fuck he was still up and walking around and causing mayhem, after all of the injuries he'd sustained in his life. But, then again, he did seem like the type of man who would start a fight at the bar, just so there was some kind of excitement. So his injuries weren't so much of a surprise, as they were intriguing.

" You don't wanna'hear bout that, luv. "

Digger took another deep breath and Adira glanced at her wrist, realizing it was just past four in the morning.

" Don't be so shy, little lady. "

Adira shot at him with a wide smile and quick insult, causing him to crack a smile.

" The **ugly parts** are the best parts about someone.." Adira trailed off before letting out a soft sigh.

She sent her clipboard next to her on a table and began to blow into her hands, rubbing them against one another before reaching out to touch Digger.

He shot a slightly disgruntled look at her, but the last time she had tried to touch his hands, he'd had a fit about how cold she was. There was something she was interested about, and wanted to address it before she forgot.

" You have, a lot of scar tissue on this one hand, while.."

Adira had scooted her stool a little closer to him and reached out, grabbing one of Digger's large hands. His fingers flinched for a moment when her skin brushed against his, but after a few seconds, his arm relaxed.

Her precise fingers lightly traced many of the scars that were on the one hand, and as she set down the hand to pick up the other, she spoke to him.

" Everyone gets to see the good parts Digger, like. " She paused, her head tilting slightly as her lips involuntarily pouted, and she got lost in a thought for a moment.

" Smiles, laughs or maybe the way you act in public," Adira paused before finishing her thought. " Everyone gets to see the good parts, but the **ugly parts are the best ones**. The nightmares, the primal fears of things or scars. You only get to see the ugly parts when you love someone. Good parts are boring. "

Her eyes caught a strange glint of light as she spoke, fully believing what she was saying. It was easy to see someone every day and see them laugh or smile. That's the kind of shit that bored her to death. But, the dark stuff; the things that make you unusual or ugly to others, those were the types of things she loved. Imperfections were perfect to her.

Adira shifted her hands over to his other hand, which while it was just as large as the other, it had nearly no evidence of broken bones or scars.

" You don't have any scars on this hand.."

Adira spoke with concern and curiosity, knowing that just bringing it up would surely spark up some kind of interesting conversation, but what she was met with was something quite different.

Digger hastily sat up from his leaning position to grab both sides of her stool, inadvertently forcing her to him, by dragging both Adira and the stool towards his parted legs.

Everything slowed down for a moment, as Adira felt her heart flutter from her chest. She had nearly fallen off the stool she was just sitting on, because of Digger's reckless action. One of Digger's hands was securely behind her back, as the other was on one of her bare legs, each helping her stay in place and not fall.

Adira's hands had reached up to grab something to stable herself, but had only managed to grab his uniform, something she wouldn't realize until much later.

Her beautiful, wide dusky eyes were intensely looking into his, still not completely realizing what was going on. Digger leaned further towards her, and Adira could feel her full lips part for a moment, lingering open as she contemplated telling him to stop, and that what was happening wasn't right or okay.

Doctors weren't supposed to take advantage of their patients, and that her doing so didn't make her much better than Ganes, in that aspect. But there was something deep within her. Something primal and addictive that **craved** him, and reminded her that maybe, she'd always wanted this.

 **It** felt like hours, but she knew it couldn't have been more than a minute.

Digger's hand had shifted up her bare leg, slowly slipping from her knee and up her thigh. Adira could feel her skin begin to ripple and bump as the sensation of his rough hands met her soft skin. Digger's posture slipped some and he moved his whole body closer to hers.

Adira's body was frozen still as he inched his body closer to hers, and within seconds his lips were just moments from touching hers.

The moral dilemma of their situation wouldn't come into her mind until later in the morning, and faintly in the back of her mind, she could hear her mother saying, " Nothing good ever happens after 3am. " Tonight would be the only exception.

Adira's hands had went from just holding onto Harkness's prison uniform, to tightly clutching it, and the closer he grew to her, the tighter her grip became. Her breaths becoming shorter as her chest grew tighter.

Adira's eyes were barely open, as she felt him grow closer to her. She could faintly smell him, and could feel his warm breath touch the tip of her chilled nose and wash over her exposed neck. The impression causing the hairs on her arms and neck to stand on end, as she felt the tips of his fingers trace further up her thigh and begin to rise past the hem on her skirt. Digger's face closed in on hers, as she felt her eyes begin to close.

A faint ringing interrupted their momentary closeness, as both Adira and Digger looked down at Adira's wrist, which was the source of the noise. Her. 4:15 alarm was going off, letting her know to finish up her rounds within the next hour.

The build up between them had slightly diminished, and Adira could feel her pale cheeks begin to flush as she realized what had almost just happened. She released Digger's uniform and used a free hand to turn off the alarm.

With a million things going through her mind, she hadn't noticed his weary eyes wander down to her wrists, and without hesitation, reach up to touch her.

Adira flinched, and the sound that she involuntary made, sounded more like a quiet grumble. However, her face showed a different story, as the very painful injury was only just days old. The moment Digger's large, strong hand, touched the delicate bruise that was along her wrist, her face twisted some. Her lips pursed together and her eyes widened, not sure what he would do or was doing.

He leaned forwards some, pulling up the fabric on the cuff of her lab coat, letting the light from the ceiling reveal how deep the bruising was. The mix of violet and plum colors made it look much worse than it was, but almost immediately Digger noticed that the bruising wasn't uniform, but was separated, as if by fingers.

His grip softened, as he shifted his hands to the top of her palm and fingers, " Who tha'fuck did this to you. " Digger's voice was low and rough, and Adira could see the frustration and anger begin to well up into his face and eyes.

" There was an accident, It's fine. "

Adira yanked her hand from his and withdrew it to her chest, where her free hand cautiously rubbed at the affected area. She remained silent, swearing she could hear him stir in his own irritation, as she avoided bringing up who had attacked her. The last thing she needed was for this dumbass to get his head beat in again.

For the first time he seemed lost for words, and she watched his eyes soften as he looked down at her wrist.

Adira knew what the alarm meant, and soon she would have to leave and finish her rounds and get out of the prison before Runner decided to show his ugly face at the prison for work.

She looked over her shoulder and to the clipboard that was on the table, her mind slowly fading to a different place.

Digger reached up a hand and cupped her cheek, snapping her from what ever kind of mindset she was in, and bringing her back down to Earth.

His hand rested just against her jaw, and within moments of feeling his touch, her body relaxed. Her shoulders slouched some, and her cheek rested into his hand. There was a look in his eyes that she wasn't familiar with. Digger had always had a wild look to him, and his eyes were no different. But, right now, he looked focused. Everything about him was focused on her.

She couldn't take it.

His eyes seemed to look right through her, and the fire within them made her want to melt.

Everything in her wanted to jump forwards and kiss him, and to pretend for a moment that they weren't on two opposing ends of a very unfair game.

Digger's silence was so unlike him that it began to put her on edge, and with the seconds drawing down between them, she felt her sense of right and wrong begin to shift.

It was almost four thirty in the morning, and she was alone with him.

Adira brought up a hand to touch him and offered no explanation as to why she had gotten hurt or what was going to happen. None of what was happening between them made sense.

So instead of thinking, she acted.

Adira gripped Digger's hand, pulling it from her face and to her side before leaning in and letting her lips touch his.

The kiss wasn't accidental, but the immediate afterthought was that it was. However, the moment her lips left his, Digger leaned forwards and closed the gap between them, and kissed her.

Adira felt her body move on its own as her own self possessed want or need for him took over. Diggers hands fell to the base of her back and hips, as the two of them stood up, and he guided her body to one of the walls of his cell. Adira's face and neck redeemed as the two of them effortlessly grabbed at each other, passionately kissing in between brief moments of breathing.

The chemistry between the two of them seeming to take over, as neither of them hesitated to touch or pin the other. Adira's jaw tightened as she felt him feverishly kiss and bite at her neck, the stubble on Digger's face making her neck look flushed and raw.

The mood in the room changed when Digger had reached down and effortlessly lifted up Adira's body, letting his hands tightly grip her bare thighs, and parting them as he pinned her. Instinctively she wrapped her legs around his waist and felt her mind slowly slip away.

One of the night guards knocked on Harkness's cell door, and alerted Adira that one of the other patients had requested to see her.

Digger and Adira were frozen still, both seemingly out of breath. Digger slowly set her down, as both of them lingered in front of the other.

She could feel him continue to breath down and against her neck, his hands now placed on each of her forearms, and as much as she wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to look at him.

Adira's breathing had slowed some as she finally answered the guard, " Alright."

Adira's voice was a little weary and sounded alien to her as she spoke.

Digger's lips silently pressed against her forehead, and for a brief moment, she closed her eyes and relaxed into him. Then, without hesitation, she broke away from him, all the while straightening her skirt, picking her labcoat off the ground, and snatching her clipboard, before then hurrying out of the room and past the guard outside Digger's cell.


	8. Into The Nightmare Pt 1

So, here is the deal. This chapter was around 5,000 words long and right now FF is not letting me upload it all at once, so this is one chapter, broken into thee parts!

* * *

After the incident with Digger, things had gotten much more confusing. She'd often thought of leaving the prison without a word, and starting over. She had a lustrous resume and her credentials were good enough that she knew she'd be able to get a well paying job.

But the main problem with working at the prison, was the same reason why it was hard to leave.

 **Digger**.

The three days after the intimate incident with Digger, had left her in a fog. She'd obsessed about every single detail, and as her mind tried to rationalize why she could never do anything like that again, she had accidentally remembered a detail about him that would send her spinning back down.

It was everything about him. She loved everything.

It was his intense eyes, or the rough sound of his voice, everything about him was sexually intoxicating to her, and for a few brief moments she had to try and sort out whether she just wanted to fuck him, or if there was something more.

 _Of course you want to fuck him, Adira._

She was sitting in her office, with her arms folded against her desk and her head buried into them. She knew she was attracted to Digger, and that he was attracted to her, but was it some kind of game? He could be using her to try and escape, after all he was a prisoner. But as much as her mind tried to convince her that this whole thing was a sham, a tug in her chest would remind her that she truly did care for him, and that if she wasn't careful, she'd fall in love with him.

But sadly, that didn't matter as much to her as it should have. Adira was more upset with herself for letting the situation arise where she was put into this predicament. She just wished that they had met under a different circumstance.

She was sitting in her office, still stewing over the intimate exchange that her and Digger had shared just a few days ago. The more she tried to think of something else, the more her mind gravitated towards him. She realized that just a minute more alone with him and she probably would have had sex with him.

" In a prison cell. "

Adira spoke against the skin on her arms, talking to herself in her office as she tried to think of anything else but him.

What really bothered her was that she could still smell him. She could swear that for moments at a time, she could still feel the roughness of his stubble against her jaw or the feel the sudden wet sensation of his lips against her neck, **and all of it was driving her fucking insane**.

There were three continuous knocks at her door before she finally realized that someone was trying to get her attention. By the time she answered the calls, the person was gone from her door. She cautiously walked past the doorway to her office, leering suspiciously around her, not sure if maybe she was in fact hearing things or having some sort of lucid day dream.

" Dr. Langley. "

One of the night guards seemed to appear from thin air, and she nearly leapt from her skin and nearly toppled over in her heels.

" Well, Inmate Lawton asked if you could look at an injury that he sustained yesterday, but one of the guys found something else that we think you should probably look at first. "

Rick was one of the night guards who seemed genuinely involved in his profession, and he was normally very polite. Although Adira was worried about his growing gut and high blood pressure, she didn't have time to question his health habits, as having any type of guard that showed some length of morals, was nearly unheard of.

Adira nodded, speaking briefly to him with a reassuring smile.

" Just a moment, " she propped open the door to her office and grabbed a few things from her desk, and messily shoved them into the thick pockets of her lab coat, before turning and disappearing down the hall.

* * *

" Thank you for getting me out of that office, Rick. "

Adira stiffly walked down the hall with the guard as she rubbed the back of her neck and released a soft sigh. Her sleep schedule had finally adjusted, which was a miracle in its own, and she hadn't seen Runner in over a week, so that alone was something to celebrate. But, this issue with Digger needed to be settled.

Truthfully, she'd gotten more than enough information from him, and the only real reason she'd been visiting him recently, was because of her own selfish agenda.

But the hard truth was that he was an inmate, and that she felt a little uneasy about everything that had transpired between them. She had this wave of anxiety that refused to break, constantly reminding her that he was at a disadvantage, and that as his physician, she was taking advantage of him.

" Well, we just happened to notice the incident a few minutes ago, Dr. Langley, so we figured we'd let you know now so you could deal with the matter. We found him like that when our boys did our first set of rounds during our night sweep. "

With each word that Rick spoke, the more she was intrigued, still not 100% sure as to what was going on. She followed him down past more guards and through the hall that led to the Maximum Security Inmates, eventually ending at a door that she wasn't familiar with.

" I hope you have a strong stomach. "

Rick's upbeat tone immediately turned sinister, as he opened the door that was labeled 'Lavatory,' and let the frightening scene unfold.

There was blood **everywhere**.

The washroom, which held two showers, a sink and a toilet, were all somehow touched with a wet, crimson shine. Adira was struck with a sudden feeling of confusion and fear as she tried to work though what was in front of her.

" Yeah, we're not entirely sure how long **he's** been like this, I'm guessing a few hours to say the least. "

That's when her face twisted just slightly, trying to process everything in her mind. **He**?

There was no he, there was only an ungodly amount of carnage. Adira's eyes scanned the room, unsure what she was seeing. There were some broken chairs on the white porcelain floor, and a large drain in the middle of the room, but from what she could see-

That's when she saw it, that's when she saw **him**.

There was a man skewed out on the floor, his limbs covered in blood, and his body left to limply lay against one of the walls in the room. Adira's lips parted, as a flabbergasted sigh managed to escape her lips, and her body welled up with both rage and terror.

" I need some towels. "

Her voice cracked as she tried to keep herself composed. She knew who it was, **who it had to be**. There was no other muscle bound inmate with that head of hair, on this side of the prison. Digger's unmoving body was propped up the side of one of the walls in the lavatory, and Adira shot an enraged look at the prison guard next to her.

" Towels. "

Adira's normally soft and warm expression had been replaced by a cold, shrill look of anger, and the guard immediately noticed . He quickly scurried away to fetch what ever she needed.

Each breath she took felt heavier and heavier, as her chest began to tighten. With every slow inhale of air, her body tried to move forward towards the limp pile of gore in the corner of the room. The clear, hard knock of her heels against the tile of the dry floor began to soften as she grew closer to him. The water and blood from the floor eventually connected with her shoes, making it sound like she was walking through a flooded basement. Adira's heart beat was slow, painfully pumping as her body went into a momentary shock. Still not believing that the man she had just seen a few days earlier could be dead.

He had to be dead. There was **too much blood** for him not to be.

* * *

She hadn't reached him by the time Rick came back with a handful of blue and white towels. Adira didn't say anything to him. She glanced over her shoulder, shooting a painfully bitter expression at him, while pointing to the only chair in the room that didn't have any blood on it. He silently put the towels into the chair and let his eyes linger on her for just a moment longer before turning and leaving. The door shutting quietly behind him as he left.

" Digger. "

Adira's voice wasn't her own. The voice that came from her sounded weak and damaged. It strained itself trying to say the one word, and Adira's parted lips trembled for just a moment as she turned, and took another step closer to him. The gruesome scene growing closer and closer to her as she hesitantly pushed forwards.

He didn't answer her.

" Hey, **asshole**. "

Adira's anxiety had caused her voice to go horse as she spoke loudly within the enclosed room. There were a few moments of silence, that to her, had felt like hours. Her chest tightened further, and she could feel her breath slowly leaving her lungs. Her eyes began to fill as her steps closed in on his body.

Digger's arms and legs were laid out unnaturally, and his head was tilted back in such an alarming position, that for a moment, she had to avert her eyes from his corpse. Her hand shuddered uncontrollably as she brought it up to her lips, silencing her body from being able to emit a single sob.

She clumsily bent down to his level, her ankles shaking as her weight bared down onto her heels while she examined him. Digger's head was split open at one of his temples, and it looked like he'd been in a very rough brawl. His body was covered in his own blood, as was most of the room, and as Adira looked at him, she could feel hot tears spill from her eyes and pour down her cheeks and past her silent lips.

She examined him further to see that he wasn't even in his prison uniform. He was almost naked in a pair of shorts, **-no-no** they were his boxers, and his torso was covered by a very discolored tank tee. They had just left him here to die alone, on the cold floor of a bathroom.

Adira's breaths had become irregular and hard, causing her to faintly become dizzy, and nearly fall over. She caught herself, nearly falling forwards and tumbling into him, but her hands stopped her. Her flat palms fell against the frigidly cold floor, and her pale fingers plunged into the mess of water, dirt and blood.

This seemed like a terrible dream. It was too surreal to be real.

Her bleary eyes would barely stay open as they began to slightly swell from the tears that seemed to be flowing nonstop down her face, as the reality of what was unfolding in front of her became more clear.

Her mind endlessly raced, reminding her that he was an inmate, and that she shouldn't be this upset. It was finally becoming painfully clear that Digger had become more than that. He wasn't just a patient and he wasn't just an inmate at Belle Reve. He was someone she cared about. Someone she shared a connection with, and was someone who she knew she was beginning to fall in love with.

She stayed silent in the room with him, as she continued to silently cry, wishing that she had asked him more about himself. She'd wanted to know more about his seedy past and what his hobbies were besides petty thievery and the occasional bar fight.

 **Most of all, he fucking deserved better than this.**

Digger wasn't the type of man to go out in a quiet night, no-no, he was the type of man to go out, guns blazing, tooth to nail, and to fight to the last drop of his blood hit the floor.

Not getting ambushed by a mob of prison guards, while being detained like some sort of rodent. He was worth so much more than that.

She pushed herself up from the ground, not noticing that the first few bottom inches of her white lab coat, were now a soft rosewood color, having absorbed some of the blood from the bathroom floor.

Her breathing was irregular and shallow, and she couldn't help but want to stay with him, no matter how much emotional pain she was in.

She kneeled down again, ignoring the blood staining her pale skin. Blood and water had slowly begun to seep through and pool into her white heels, leaving her balance to become off, and causing her to nearly fall. Feverishly one of her hands plunged into the sick mess of bodily fluids and cloudy water to find the release valve for the drain, and within a matter of seconds the level of water in the room began to drop.

Her ankles had gone weak from lactic acid build up, finally giving out, leaving Adira to fall hard onto her knees. She stayed quiet in front of Digger, occasionally wiping her face and coming to the realization that one of the only people who might have actually cared for her, in this shithole, was dead.

Her eyes fell down to his hands, remembering how she had never gotten to speak to him about why one of his hands was so scarred while the other was unscathed.

A few of Digger's fingers shifted, as though there were some left over nerves in his hands that hadn't yet died.

 **But** there were only a few species on earth that continued to move post mortum, and humans weren't one of them.

Without hesitation she lunged forwards, bringing up a free hand she immediately checked the artery in his neck for a pulse.

Nothing

Nothing

 **THERE!**

His pulse was very weak, but it was there. Without hesitation she kicked off her shoes, which had proven to be totally worthless, and jolted across the room. She grabbed a chair and clumsily dragged it over the smooth tile. The noise from her rummaging around drew the attention of one of the guards who walked into the complete disaster. Adria's wild eyes immediately locked to whoever was in the doorway. Angrily, she pointed at the doorway, instructing for the guard to bring her a wheel chair and her black medical bag from her office. The primal look of rage and perseverance that Adira shot at the guard, was enough to make him scurry away, not wanting to question her authority or take a chance sitting around.

" You better pull through shithead. "

Adria's limitless tasteful vocabulary only seemed to worsen the more stressed out she was. She'd had the guard help her get Digger into the wheel chair and immediately leave after dropping off the things she had requested.

She put an IV into Digger's arm and propped up the bag on a hook next to the sink. She'd placed the back of Digger's head onto the sink and continued to check his vitals.

 **She couldn't understand how he was alive**. There was easily three pints of blood splashed around the small room they were in. The most he could lose was maybe two before he went into shock.

Adira had carefully placed Diggers head against the hard porcelain sink, and turned on the water. She gently washed away the blood and dirt from his face and head, making sure to clear the wound on his temple, and access whether it needed stitches or not.

To her pleasure and surprise, the sensation of the warm water against his face and head, caused him to quietly stir. Occasionally she'd see his eyes try to open, but they'd quickly close soon after.

He was dehydrated. A product from living in a confined prison cell with limited amounts of care, and because of the rapid blood loss. Adira grabbed one of the dry towels from the chair in the corner of the room, and gently wiped away the left over blood and water from his head. He was going to need a few stitches, but luckily, he seemed to be getting better.

He slept through the needle work and the moment she was done, she began to examine the rest of his body.

The shirt that Digger had on was filthy, and had to go. She began to slide the dirty garment from his abdomen and almost had it over his shoulders, when Digger let out a loud, wet cough. He spewed fresh blood and spit all over her face and neck. Her pale skin and white lab coat contrasted against the crimson color, and upon contact, her face angrily scrunched. **She** **absolutely** **fucking hated getting spit on.**

Digger's eyes flickered open, managing to hold out from closing, for the moment. A wide, comical grin quickly spread over his face as he beamed a pleasant look of bliss up at her.

Adria's jaw clenched, as her tongue fought to unleash a full assault shitstorm of insults and belittlements. She was SO angry with how he had ended up, and for him to just smile up at her, like nothing was wrong!? Not on her fucking watch! Adira was livid, and no amount of pleasantries was going to fix that.

" G'Morning, Luv. "

Adria's jaw relaxed, fully intending to lecture him on " **how to not get your fucking head beaten in; while in prison: Volume 1** "

But, Digger's deep voice and soft eyes derailed her bitter hearted rant, and instead of lashing out, her mouth remained closed. She lightly bit her bottom lip and felt a familiar tug in her chest.

Adira swallowed hard and brought up a steady hand, letting the tips of her fingers press against the stubble on his neck and jaw. The corners of her mouth twitched for a moment before eventually growing into a small, quiet smile.

" You almost died. "

Adira's normally strong glare, and stern voice, were replaced with a much softer version of herself. One that Digger took notice to. He sat in the wheelchair just beside her, the back of his head propped against the edge of the sink. Some muddy discolored water still seeping from his hair, and flowing down against the white of the porcelain.

Digger brought up a slow hand, tightly wrapping his fingers around hers, and bringing her hand to his lips, while making sure to keep his eyes locked on her.

She'd think about the moral ramifications later, **much-much** later. They wouldn't try to fester until just before she'd try to go to sleep, which would turn out to be well after the sun had decided to rise.

Adira stayed with Digger. Eventually getting off his dirty shirt and treating some of the smaller scratches on his chest and shoulders. Reluctantly she'd propped him up, and not to her surprise, he'd nearly passed out. He was good at faking his health, but she could see through it.

The room they were still in was vey quiet, and in an attempt to keep him awake, she'd had an idea. Adira would ask Digger strange, aimless questions; the ones that would keep his mind going so he wouldn't fall asleep.

 **What was his favorite color** ; she got green, blue and an assortment of other answers, all seeming to conflict with the other.

 **What did he originally get arrested for, to be put into Belle Reve** ; he'd gotten bored robbing banks in Australia, and had decided to come to America for a fresh criminal record. Only one of the first places he robbed, a diamond exchange, was intercepted by Meta Human.

 **Why the name Captain Boomerang** ; the Australian papers had coined that name because of how catchy it was, as the fact that Digger used boomerangs for an assortment of things. She wanted to talk more about this, but Digger was hesitant to answer.


	9. Into The Nightmare Pt 2

She could tell that he throughly enjoyed any physical contact the two of them shared. Any gentle touch or accidental pet of her palm or fingers against his bare back, was appreciated. Adira was standing in front of him, finishing her last examination of the back of his neck. Digger's shoulders were bowed in and his back was hunched over. Adira had to check on him every minute or so, making sure he hadn't accidentally fallen asleep.

Without notice, he shifted his weight forwards and startled her. She hastily brought up her hands in a panic, assuming he'd passed out or worse. But, what was happening was quite the opposite.

Digger's body shifted forwards in the chair as he reached out and pulled Adira to him. He didn't pull her down or use too much force, but he did mildly envelop her. Digger let his head rest into her stomach, and wrapped his large arms around her small hips, making sure to let his calloused hands rest under her work shirt and against her bare back.

Her hands had flared up in attention, ready to catch him at a moments notice, unsure of what was happening until it was over. His greasy, wet hair rested against her stomach, slowly soaking through her button up work shirt. Without hesitation, she brought down her hands and let them rest against his broad shoulders, dotingly letting her hands gently rub the brawny muscles that covered his bare back.

He had a handful of tattoos, most of which looked like they had a story behind them, and more scars than she'd ever seen on a human being. The one time she'd asked about a large scar on his abdomen that she could very easily see was from a knife wound, she got the run around. Digger was persistent in telling her that it was from a BBQ skewer at his nana's house, even though she pointed out the wound was far too big for that.

He was an idiot, but she enjoyed being with him more than anyone else.

The longer she let her thumbs press and knead against his body, the more she could feel the tips of his fingers press into her bare skin. For a short moment, she could begin to feel his hot breaths soak through her damp shirt, sending goosebumps along her chilled abdomen.

This moment that she shared with him had felt more close and intimate than nearly anything she'd ever experienced. **It wasn't just his physical touch or the fact that she had just saved his life** ; it was in those few minutes that they cradled each other quietly that she knew that he felt the same way she did.

" Why did he do this to you. "

Adira's question was uncomfortable, but to her surprise, Digger deeply laughed into her body and answered her. The sensation of his voice vibrating against the damp skin of her stomach, made her heart skip a beat.

" Be'caus he's a _cunt_. "

Digger's words were nearly incoherent, as he refused to move his arms or head from her body, being perfectly fine with answering her questions in short mumbles. She took a deep breath, and let the palm of one of her hands rest against the back of his neck. There was a small silence between them, but Adira hadn't noticed. Her mind was clouded with the thoughts of Digger getting ambushed by Runner.

" Told'em it'd be smart to keep his hands off of ya' and he didn't like that. "

Adira's face became more stern, as her brow furrowed and she began to realize that she had never told Digger that Runner was the one who had assaulted her. This led to more questions, and she now assumed that this wasn't the first time Runner had gotten into shit for hurting women, and that maybe it was common knowledge among the inmates.

" Did you at least get a good shot in ? "

A wicked smile spread across her face as she glanced down to him. He let out a blunt laugh and sighed into her body, while his hands were unwavering and still hooked around her waist.

" Tha piss weak guard? " Digger paused, thinking for a moment. " Ya-you'd better fuckn **'** believe it. "

She smiled and continued to let her hands rest against his bare shoulder.

 **That was an outright lie. She was sure Runner had gotten the upper hand. He did, after all, have an entire fleet of guards at his disposal.**

Digger's health had improved. He had gone through three IV bags, which meant that he was super fucking dehydrated. Normally a person might go through one if they were sick or dehydrated, so three was pushing insanity. The large gash on his temple had been repaired, and he'd let her treat another large wound on his back. She'd taken his blood pressure and kept up on his vitals.

She had insisted that he get some kind of X-ray done, but he refused. She was sure that there was a broken bone in his ribcage or sternum, but Digger's resistance had won her over. She was too tired to fight back.

The sun was rising by the time she managed to get her mind in order and finally wheeled Digger out of the room. She didn't say a word to the guards as she passed them, not confident in her own ability to keep her mouth from going off.

Digger's blood had sat so long on her bare hands, that it had caused a temporary stain to set into her skin. She hadn't noticed it until she was pushing him through the halls of the prison, and happened to look down at them.

Eventually they were at his cell. She was graciously let in by one of the guards, and soon after, was locked in with Digger. Adira helped him up the best she could, but Digger was a whole foot taller than her, and was almost twice her weight. With each movement, his body made a new sound. He'd tied to hide it well, but she knew he was still in bad shape. She led him from the chair and to the small bunk attached to the wall. His body fell forwards, letting the entirety of his weight hit the metal framework and nearly ripped it from the wall.

His breathing was labored, and for a few moments he sat hunched over with his elbows on his knees. Adira had noticed his state, and monitored him from just a few feet away. She slipped off her medical lab coat and tossed it at the bed, just next to Digger. She worked without hesitation, kneeling down and examining one of his legs before reaching over, and pulling a full syringe from her jacket.

She put the plastic sheath of the syringe into her mouth, and withdrew the needle. Not a moment later, she stuck the needle into Digger's leg and watched him **scream like a child**.

" Well that was very manly. "

Adira shot at him, unable to contain her smile as she placed the plastic protector back onto the needle's tip and snuck it back into her coat.

" What, that fuckin'hurt, let's see you take a surprise needle and see how you like it. "

Adira's warm smile turned wicked, as she kept quiet to herself. Digger's lustrous eyes seemed to come into focus, realizing he might have said something sexual and inappropriate.

" You're my kinda' sheila, you know that.

He spat fondly at her, while flashing a toothy grin.

Adira let her eyes flash up and meet his, keeping her hazardous comments to herself. She pulled a bandaid wrapper from a small pocket within her short pencil skirt, and opened it. The small pink application was placed over exit hole where the B12 shot had just gone in.

" There you go, now you're a big girl. "

Adira's smile became large enough that she flashed her teeth at him, trying to contain a laugh, that eventually found its way out of her. Digger cocked a charming side smirk and looked down at his knee fondly.

Adira groaned, slowly gaining to her feet, realizing that Digger's cell was beginning to become illuminated by a small amount of sunlight from outside.

 _SUNLIGHT?! Fuck._

She'd be off duty within the hour, and she still had so much she had to get done. Digger roughly tapped at the bunk next to him and she paused, staring down at him from her standing position.

" I have to go, it's almost time for the bastard to come in, and I'd rather not see him. I like having this job. "

Adira's arms were a little chilled, and without noticing it, she'd crossed them and began to fidget.

He didn't push the gesture any further. He sat in front of her, remaining silent and staring at her. For a moment, she watched his face become a little more serious, as though he was doing something that was hard for him.

 _That fucking face._

 **Adira was hopeless.**


	10. Into The Nightmare Pt 3

The young doctor softly sighed at him before forcing her heavy legs to move towards him, and without a moment more of pause, she let her body lazily hit the bunk next to him.

Adira sighed again, this time having been fed up with herself for not having the self control she should have. She glanced to her left, noticing him staring at her out of the corner of his eye. He cleared his throat for a moment before shifting his eyes away from her.

" Thank you, for " He paused, taking in a deep breath, " everything. "

She relaxed her back against the wall behind the bunk and stayed quiet, the corners of her mouth beginning to peak again, as a content smile crossed her lips.

 _Somehow she'd fallen asleep._ Somewhere between her body melting against the wall, and her chilled body feeling the warmth from Digger's presence, she'd accidentally passed out.

By the time she stirred awake, it was almost 10 am. Adira felt like she was going to be sick, but had managed to hold it down. The lack of sleep and absence of food for nearly twenty four hours, had her body in a tizzy. She pulled up her arm and tried to read her watch, but the light in the room was too bright for her to see.

Digger was no longer next to her, and at some point had laid down, and placed his head into her lap. The scruff on Digger's neck and jaw were just long enough to angrily scratch at her bare legs, and although she wanted to push him off, she'd wait a few more minutes. His large muscular frame had him in a uncomfortable position. His legs were hanging off of the bunk, as was one of his arms, while his torso had managed to stay on. She could feel every soft inhale he made, and every quiet sigh that escaped his lips as he exhaled into her lap.

It was always so strange seeing him this quiet and helpless looking, but it was also very rewarding. She felt like she was seeing something many didn't got the chance to.

One of her hands came up and playfully tapped his cheek, alerting him to her eventual departure. Digger groaned, smacked his lips and then became silent. She hit him again, but this time a little harder.

" whats-your-problem."

He spoke into her legs with an angry whine before realizing where he was. Adira felt Digger's cheeks shift as he began to smile, still unwavering from his current spot. She felt his wet lips press against her bare leg, and immediately she pushed him off of her.

She knew how fast things could go and she didn't have time for another hot and heavy session.

Digger lost his balance and fell from the bunk, landing on the hard concrete floor with a solid thud. He immediately began to moan the moment he caught his breath.

She bent over him, quickly examining the stitches on his temple and taking his blood pressure.

" Maybe don't try to be so fresh next time, and you won't get thrown on the floor. "

She smiled down at him, throughly enjoying the last few fleeting moments she had with him. Digger released a few hard coughs before finally catching his breath and trying to sit up.

" I'll be back in two days, so no fighting. "

Adira was still kneeling next to him as he finally managed to force himself up to a sitting position. He took in her features for a moment before leaning forwards and kissing her.

Surprised and still very sleep deprived, her reflexes were slow and almost non existent. But, even if she had been alert and functioning, she knew that pushing him away and leaving, wouldn't be easy.

Digger's full lips lingered against hers, bringing up flashes from their last meeting. One of his rough palms grasped her upper arm, as if asking her to stay.

After a few moments, she felt him pull away, letting his lips linger just an inch from hers. Adira's pouted lips closed and she wetted her bottom lip before speaking up one last time. Holding up two digits on her hand, she spoke softly.

" Two Days. "

The rush from the prison had turned into a slow, exhausted crawl. She knew that if she didn't eat something soon and head home for some real sleep, she'd become delirious.

Adira threw her filthy lab coat onto her work desk and rummaged around for her keys, not noticing the Manila file on her computer, until just before she left.

Hesitantly she picked it up, realizing that the header held Digger's name.

 **George Harkness**

The contents of the file were personal and a little startling, as every single crime Digger had committed, was written down in deep detail within the file's contents.


	11. Close Encounters

" **You're a little faker** , your arm is fine. "

Adira spoke in a forward but playful tone. She threw Floyd Lawton's arm back at him, the brutal motion causing him to loudly groan.

She'd put off seeing him for some time, but had gained the confidence and gotten enough sleep, to come back to this cesspool. Lawton had been patient enough, so she owed him a visit.

Lawton got a vitamin shot and some fluids as well. He was complaining about some minor pain in his wrist.

" You probably have a small spiral fracture. Have you been in any fights with the guards recently? "

Adira leaned back into her chair and crossed her legs, before slightly tilting her head at him. He shook his head quietly, and Adira looked to her left, noticing the large, body sized punching bag hanging from the ceiling.

" What about that? "

She motioned lazily to the bag, and Lawton nodded. She took a few moments to herself before answering him.

" You need to ease up on exercising with the punching bag, and before you say anything, you're going to really fuck up your wrist if you don't. "

Floyd let out a hard sigh that slowly turned into a deep laugh. He looked up to her and nodded.

" Well what the hell am I supposed to hit? "

" Use your legs and kick it, or get into a real fight. The same repetitive motion is putting too much stress on your wrist. I know Griggs is super sensitive about his new haircut, so maybe start a fight with him. . "

Adira glanced at her watch, noticing how slow her night was going.

" Big date? "

Lawton mocked her and she sent a hard glare his way, feeling the tips of her cheeks begin to warm.

" You-you alright? "

Lawton interrupted her train of thought, and brought up the one uncomfortable question that had been on both of their minds. In response, she held up her wrist, the cuff of her lab coat falling down and revealing a few left over bruises. Most of which were completely healed.

" He deserves to get the shit beat out of him, Adira I-"

" No, no. Just stop, everything is fine. I haven't seen him in almost two weeks so, it's okay. I'm fine. "

She paused, and there was a lingering moment of tension between them.

" So how's your daughter. "

Lawton's face caught a light that she hadn't seen in a long time. His mouth fought off a wide grin as his eyes filled with temporary life.

" She's, uh- great. She's really great. "

" Tell me about her. "

For the next fifteen minutes Lawton spoke about Zoey, and showed Adira some of the photos he had of her, and the various letters he had received. Adira would chime in once in a while, saying how lucky he was that she took after her mother, and not Floyd's ugly ass.

* * *

Adira had retreated to her office at around two am. She'd had a ton of paperwork that needed to be approved and sorted. A few of the inmates in the regular half of the prison had needed her assistance, and now she was a little behind.

She'd taken home the file that was left on her desk two nights ago. It had every crime that Digger had been convicted of in the last ten years. She was too tired to read it that night, but had managed to go through it the next day.

She only assumed that this was one of Runner's many distasteful jabs at Digger, in an attempt to make him look more dangerous or to avert her attention from him. In all actuality it had made her more curious.

Adira ignored the idea, but she knew that many of the guards on staff had to of noticed her affinity for Digger, although there was no hard proof. The episode from the other night had cemented the rumor, as before she had left for her shift, she'd let Griggs and a few of the other day guards get a fucking mouthful.

She'd threatened to turn them into the Ethical Penitentiary Committee, which she was sure Waller had jurisdiction over, but the fact that she was holding her ground, made them that much more angry.

Griggs had cowered from the petite doctor, and he threw his arms up in a gutless gesture, rambling on and on how it wasn't his idea, but Pierce Runnner's. Apparently, Digger had let his mouth go off about how only a coward would threaten a woman, a sentiment that Runner would take personally. Later that evening Runner had gathered a dozen guards and ambushed Digger, nearly killing him.

It still boiled her blood just thinking about it. Runner's lack of morality and empathy was, arguably, worse than Ganes. At least Ganes had tried to be discreet about the awful shit he was doing.

 **That little prick had** the nerve to do what ever he wanted when ever he wanted, and slowly she was planning her retaliation. It wouldn't be anything grand, but she knew it would be enough to get him fired. Or, **at least,** moved from this prison and to another, hopefully one that's far-far away.

The main thing that had been crossing her mind all day was visiting Digger. After the situation with him a few days ago, and him almost bleeding out on a bathroom floor, she'd quickly realized how fast things can change. Tonight was the night that she'd let some of pent up feelings rise to the surface.

The file that had been anonymously dropped off onto her desk, had held within its contents, every crime that Digger had committed in the last ten years. Most of which were expected, and if she was impartial with herself, she'd admit that she was very curious. There were numerous listings of thievery, battery and a few murder convictions, but those were expected. Adira, was however interested in a crime that was committed July 16th, 2014. Which involved burglary, a pink unicorn plush and three different reckless endangerment charges.

She'd save that one for later.

* * *

Adira had recollected the quiet moment that they had shared while talking about the darkness of their pasts, and how she insisted, that the ugly parts of a persons past were the most beautiful. To most, it took a lot to see someones ugliness and to still love them. The bitter aftertaste of finding out who or what someone really was, could be unbearable to some, but to Adira, it was like a breath of fresh air.

She'd had more ugly baggage to carry around than she'd like to admit, so seeing someone else's luggage out in the open, well it made her feel more at home. Things that Digger may have done that he thought were unclean or unattractive, were remarkably beautiful to her. She loved that he had a seedy past, and she loved that he had refused to let his inner spirit become dampened by this horrid fucking place, and she absolutely fucking **adored the fact that he was a crazed man with a big heart and an even bigger mouth.**

The file was meant to deter her from him, but in all actuality, it had made her realize something that she had been fighting; something that she knew she needed to do.

Their dynamic could easily be misinterpreted, and although Adira knew how she felt about him, if for some reason the feeling was one sided, well she wanted things to be crystal clear.

She needed to tell him how much he meant to her.

She'd taken the time to visit him just an hour before she was scheduled to go home.

Adira waited for the guard to open the steel plated door to Digger's cell, her weary mind checking over everything she'd done that night. Going over each patient she'd treated, she'd quietly gone over a mental run through of her routine. The light distraction was needed, because what was coming up next would be difficult.

The door closed behind her and she watched as Digger remained seated on his bunk in his orange prison pants and a plain white Tee. He didn't get up to greet her, not like he normally did, but he did just go through a physically traumatic experience, so for now she'd let it slide.

" Merry Christmas. "

Adira spoke in a light, airy tone, adjusting the medium weight bag on her shoulder that held her schedule, reports and a few other goodies, within it. She walked across the room, her high heels clicking against the tough floor below her, while with the swift motion that she walked, forced back her mid length, white lab coat.

Digger's back was relaxed forwards, as he rested his elbows on his knees. His focused eyes watched attentively as she swept across the room and happily greeted him. She found the closest chair in the room and pulled it over to where Digger was sitting, eventually stopping and sitting directly in front of him. She rummaged through her bag for a moment, eventually pulling out a small round item that was in a greasy wrapper.

" So it's **not** a beer, but. "

Adira held back the emotion in her face, but her elated voice gave away her excitement. She unwrapped the gift and sat it down on the table next to her, before taking off a small piece and happily eating it.

" I'm not sure if they celebrate Christmas in Australia, but, " Adira chewed a few times before talking, eventually finishing the small piece of food and immediately wiping her greasy hands onto her lab coat, " I figured you could use a holiday pick-me-up. "

" It's a little cold, but it's from Big Belly Burger, I'm sure you could use some real-ish food. The things they serve you in here can barely be called edible. "

She examined his face from her sitting position, before briefly pushing herself to her feet and attempting to reach forwards to examine the stitches on his shoulder. Digger jerked his shoulder away, as though her mere touch would burn him.

She hesitantly let her hands fall to her side, and she quietly examined his wounds from her hovering position. Like always, Digger was healing pretty well. The stitches on his back were probably still uncomfortable and sore, so she'd ask about them later.

" Your bruising looks okay, make sure you're cleaning your stitches though, alright? You don't want to get an infection, especially in here.. "

Her voice trailed off as her brow furrowed, she quickly realized that he was being much quieter than normal. Adira tried to match her eyes to his, but any time she did, he'd quickly avert them.

" Are you in any pain or feeling sick at all? "

Adira looked genuinely concerned, but Digger cleared his throat, and glanced up to her gaze.

" No-no, I'm fine. "

The corners of her mouth twitched as her lips pouted, her face tried to fight off the urge to smile, and she clenched her jaw tightly. Aira shifted in her sitting position uncomfortably, as her eyes widened in suspense, and her body took in one final deep, lasting breath.

" Digger. "

 **This was it**. It was now or never. Either she was going to tell him how she felt about him, or she was going to burry her feelings, and never revisit them again. This was the time to be brave.

Her voice was warm and sweet. She had still managed to hold off that wide fucking smile that was just welling up inside of her, all the while her stomach turned over onto itself with anxiety. The muscles in her face were strained, as she held her smile in just a few moments too long. The nails on her fingers pressed tightly into the bare skin of her thighs, and without noticing, she'd begun to make impressions into her own body. The sheer anxiety that this was giving her was indescribable. It was as though someone was hunched over her, putting their full force of weight onto her back and joints. She was exhausted, but so unbelievably elated. This had been something that she had needed to do for a while now, and their last interaction had sealed the deal.

Adira knew she loved him.

Would she outright say that? Of course not.

But could she mention that of all the minutes and hours that occupy her day, any time she spends with him is her favorite?

That he's the one she thinks about when she is happy or tired? That he is the one person that is able to give her goosebumps and make her heart stand still, just by saying her name?

That was probably a no go too. She had gotten up the courage to speak to him about this multiple times, but each time that she'd tried to approach him, her courage would vanish.

This was it though, **sink or swim**. He was sitting in front of her, silent for whatever reason, and allowing her to work up the courage to tell him why she hated being away from him.

Adira's lips parted, and lingered, waiting for her brain to unjumble the words she knew she needed to form an appropriate sentence. She could feel the peaks of her cheeks begin to tinge pink, as she finally took a deep enough breath to clear her head.

" I really like coming to visit you, Digger, and- "

There, was that so fucking hard you coward?

She couldn't help but mentally scorn herself for not being able to say such a simple sentence earlier.

" Listen, Adira.. "

There was a pain in Digger's voice, one that slowly faded the growing smile on her face.

" I don't think you should be comin'to see me anymore. "

Her head tilted to the side just slightly, as she looked on confused. The uncomfortable, and pained expression on his face said the opposite of what he was saying to her, and it very clearly looked like he was just saying something with no backbone. She had this tugging feeling that he was lying.

" Is this about the file? "

Adira's face twisted and she looked on at him puzzled. There was always a chance that Runner had somehow tried to threaten him in some way with it. She needed to make sure he knew that she didn't care about it.

" I don't care about what you did, Digger. It's fine, I've seen all of it. "

Digger's exasperated expression led her to believe that the file wasn't the answer, and that it was something else that was bothering him. She leaned in closer to him, watching as his back straightened out, and he withdrew himself from being close to her.

" Listen luv, it's nothing personal, I just don't want you to come and see me, anymore. "

His words contradicted how he had acted all of the four months that they had known each other, but they hurt nonetheless. The whole situation was overwhelming her, and it was difficult for her to believe what he was saying.

Without thinking her hands had come up to touch him, but Digger's reflexes had stopped her cold in her tracks. She was left in emotional limbo, and unsure of what to do. So she stopped thinking, and acted.

Adira's emotional expression and bleary eyes continued to show how confused she was, but even though their current circumstance was shifting, she knew how she felt. In one last ditch effort, she let her body fall forwards and kissed him.

Digger held onto her wrists tightly, convinced that this was the way to go about restraining her. His rough, worn fingers easily enveloped hers, but he hadn't expected her persistence.

The moment Adira's soft lips touched his, she began to feel the constriction on her wrists start to ease. Digger's entire body shifted forwards, and released her wrists. His hands feverishly worked against her, briefly touching her neck and jaw line. She felt his lips press longingly against hers, before eventually breaking and drifting away. He lingered there for a moment. Letting his warm breath touch her bare neck and jaw.

Adira's beautiful tawny colored eyes matched his bright green ones, and for a few moments they were both quiet. Adira swallowed hard, before glancing next to her and immediately picking up her black shoulder bag, and rising to her feet. As she turned to leave she was unaware of Digger's reaching hand, which slowly withdrew back to him as she cleared the floor of his cell and was released from his room.

She was a fucking idiot.

* * *

The only thing she could think about was how this whole thing was possibly a farce to him. That she was his play thing for the remainder of his sentence. It was incredibly stupid and naive of her to think that she'd make a meaningful relationship with someone who was confined to a cell.

He was just looking for a way out, **or maybe she was**. An escape from her mundane life, a departure from the feeling of boring normalcy. She'd always felt off, as though she was missing something, and for a few fleeting months, Digger had been that thing to fill the empty edge of her missing puzzle piece.

Adira left the cell and thanked the guard that was posted outside.

" Leaving early Ms. Langley? "

The friendly young man that was stationed outside Digger's cell was curious, and questioning her departure time. She flashed a small smile back at him as she continued to walk down the hall.

" Actually, I'm on time! "

She spoke with a growing grin that eventually dissolved the further she walked down the hall. She never left early or on time, but for today, she didn't have a reason to stay.

The sun was beginning to peak across the Louisiana skyline, and Adira welcomed the bright rays of warmth, as they touched her bare legs and tired face. She crossed the parking lot to her car, trying the best she could to distract her brain from the last thirty minutes, but it would take some time.

Her electronic remote opened the locks on her car, and she hastily threw her bag into the back seat. One of her hands rested against the car door, as she heard her name called.

" Hm," Adira quietly answered to herself, her knees bent slightly as she went to take off her heels and put on some flats. Only once she looked over her shoulder, she felt heavy, frigid sensation in her back and shoulders. It was Runner.

" Woah-woah, listen, hey. I just wanted to catch you before you went home, and-uh." He paused to release a soft sigh and run a free hand through his short, dark locks of hair.

" Apologize, I wanted to see if maybe we could start fresh? We both work here, I think it would probably be the best thing, you know? For the staff and the **inmates**? "

Runner slightly exaggerated the word inmate, leaving Adira with the impression that no, this was not an apology, but another one of his bullshit warnings. Either she buddied up to him again or he'd go after Digger.

She was completely done with his shit. His hostile advances on her, his disturbingly low voice, and whatever he fucking used to wash himself in; all of it was revolting and she wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. He could blow this mock-apology straight up his tight ass.

" It's going to be a **no** for me. " Adira spat at him, turning her attention to her heels. She clumsily took them off, letting her bare feet touch the pavement for a few seconds, before slipping on a pair of comfortable flats.

" You're fucking serious? "

There he was. The crude, rude asshole that was hiding underneath that super soldier facade. He wasn't going to change, and the best he could do to try and see her more often, was threaten her.

Fuck him.

Her thoughts were filled with anger and fatigue. She was hungry and needed a shower, not even he could stand in the way of that.

He shot forwards, slamming a hard arm into her shoulder, knocking her against her car, and nearly ramming the base of her back against the hard metal door. The moment his hand touched her shoulder, instinctively she reacted to his action.

Adira was physically pretty weak, and she knew that. She was a doctor, and in being one, there wasn't much muscle building. She was however a military brat. Her father had trained her around guns since she was a young child, and she had some basic hand to hand defense moves. One of those would involuntarily take over the moment he touched her.

Adira used the base of one of her palms to knock his arm off of her and shot a quick jab at the base of his throat before trying to get away.

Runner's expertise in demobilizing inmates, however, was much more effective than her few years as the daughter of a sergeant. He quickly recovered and grabbed at Adira, violently throwing her against her car's door, before quietly closing in on her. Her body bounced off of the metal of her door before she fell to the ground.

" Amazing, to think you'd have this many surprises under your belt, Adira. "

The way he said her name gave her a trembling fear that was gradually growing into a red hot hate. She grew to her feet and fled into her car, trying to close her car door behind her, but Runner wasn't done with the chase.

He easily pried open the back door to her car to try and get to her. Adira brought up her foot and slammed it into his face, crushing into his nose and causing his face to burst open with fresh blood. She scrambled away, not noticing that she had quietly screamed twice while he had tied to get at her. She fumbled with her keys, and finally managed to hit the red panic button.

Her car began to scream in alarm, and any hope Adira had of getting some kind of help, began to grow. She just needed to keep him away from her for as long as she could.

The blow to the face hardly phased him, and within moments of getting the injury, he was back after her. Adira's hands feverishly fumbled through her backseat, trying to find something, anything, that she could use to ward off this cunt.

Runner put his hands onto her legs and easily maneuvered his way on top of her. She squirmed and moved, trying to get away from him, but to where? He was blocking the only open exit. One of her hands fumbled up behind her, trying to open the other back door, but Runner was quicker than her. He grabbed onto her hand and used his own strength to slam the back of her palm against the closed window.

One, two, and finally for a third time. Adira screamed in anguish as Runner broke her left hand. The window above her was now covered in a thin pat of blood, as some of the bones in her hand had broken the skin and were letting small streams of fluid run from the punctures.

" It doesn't have to be this difficult! "

Runner's voice was just below a scream, as Adira's flailing began to slow down, and her body began to go into shock. She hadn't noticed him almost completely rip her black pencil skirt from her hips, before unbuttoning his own pants and hunching over her.

She pulled up her right hand, her hazy eyes frantically tried to lock onto where he was, as she sent a hard jab up. The fist connected with Runner's already broken nose and sent him spiraling. She began to slip away from him, turning her body, and using her one good hand to open the door that was behind her.

The alarm to her car was still going off, but she couldn't hear it anymore. The only thing her mind was registering, was getting the fuck away from him. She pushed her body from the back seat of her car and through the doorway.

But she didn't get very far.

Runner had recovered again, but this time he was done messing around. He grasped onto her bare thighs and dragged her half naked body back up and into the car, she screamed once more before turning to face her attacker, only to be knocked out by a hard blow to the face.


	12. The Aftermath Pt 1

**So this is a filler chapter (** I know Boo, right? **) Anywho, there is a silver lining. This story is going to get three updates! What!? I know,** a schedule **, soo unlike me. So, tune in Friday for another chapter and on Sunday! I have all three written and I am SO excited to get into some more Digger/Adira fun time ;)**

 **OH AND ALSO, so FF is being stupid still and won't let me upload more than 1500 words at a time, so you're going to get more split chapters, sorry about that!**

 **I also wanted to say A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has favorited this series or commented. Sometimes I get stuck or discouraged, but every comment or positive remark keeps me going! I appreciate all of my readers, you guys are amazing,**

* * *

Runner's fist had hit her hard enough that she didn't wake up for almost four days.

He'd broken one of her cheek bones, as well as her nose. One of her eye sockets was fractured, and she'd nearly lost her sight on that side. Adira's unmoving body was currently in the Critical Injury Ward of a large hospital, and as she began to stir, the first face she saw, was one of the last one she'd ever expected.

Amanda Waller.

The ARGUS Operations Director was sitting in an uncomfortable position, looming across from Adira's medical bed. She didn't say anything as she watched Adira begin to wake up, but a pleased, almost overly-satisfied look, crossed her lips.

Adira couldn't help but feel uneasy as Amanda Waller kept her eyes locked onto her. The shitstorm wasn't over, not by a long shot, i **n fact** , it'd just begun.

" Nice of you to join the world of the living, Dr. Langley. "

Waller's voice wasn't filled with any sincerity, and Adira could tell just by her voice, that this was all business and no pleasantries.

Adira's face was throbbing and even though she was receiving pain medication, it wasn't enough. The fluids were enough to take the edge off, but the deep pain, the pain that she could feel down to her bones, **that wasn't going to go away**.

Adira tried to speak, but her throat was dry and sore. That little detail didn't matter, because Waller was more than happy to compensate for the silence.

" You were brought here by Landon Griggs, after being attacked by Pierce Runner. "

Adira's mind began to stir, as flashes began to come back. Brief, **violent** flash backs that caused her to flinch at the very thought. She tried to swallow again, wanting to ask a million questions at once, but she couldn't even bring herself to clear her throat.

" I need to get down to business, but first I want to personally apologize for what transpired earlier in the week. It's unacceptable. Runner is being dealt with, and with any luck, you will never see him ever again. "

With any luck? **Was she fucking serious?**

Waller took a deep, lasting breath of air, as a nurse entered the room and checked Adira's vitals. She didn't breath a word until the nurse left the room. Waller grew to her feet, pulling her chair closer to Adira.

Adira laid helpless, being forced to listen to the high pitched sound of the chair scraping against the tile of the floor, as Waller grew closer. Her anxiety mounting to unbearable levels, as she watched Waller grow closer and closer.

" You've really stepped up for us Adira, Ganes has been declared dead, although we have yet to find a body.." Waller trailed off for a moment, her intense eyes shifting briefly from Adira and to the open window in her room. " And you've taken the entire load of the hospital onto your shoulders, and for that I'm very thankful. "

Where was the but? People like Waller always had to end their speeches with a **but**. Something else had to be wrong.

" I've also been informed that you've been getting along well with the maximum security inmates, which I did not expect. I have to fly out to Central City for some meetings, but I'm having a top ARGUS agent patrol the prison with you. His name is Rick Flag, and he's a well respected government agent and a war hero. He'll help you with the day to day chaos. "

Adira shifted in her bed, the intense pain that she thought was just in her face and neck, had decided to shoot down into her chest as well. She underestimated how sore she still was.

Waller had gotten up to leave, but paused just moments before leaving the room. Unexpectedly, she closed the door to Adira's room, and cautiously stalked back to Adira's bed. She let her hands rest against the grips at the end of Adira's medical bed, remaining silent for a few more moments.

" Do you know why I chose you, Adira? "

Adira only had the energy to take a small breath before she was out of time. Waller spoke for her.

" It's not because you were at the top of your class, or because you are a woman.. No-no, Adira you were chosen to be part of a much bigger picture, because you have promise. "

Waller began to smile as she loomed over Adira

" The daughter of a top ranking military official, and formally trained in hand to hand combat, you traveled to the U.S at the age of seven, and ever since then, you've stood out. "

Adira could feel the hairs on the back of her neck begin to stand on end as Waller continued to speak about her informally in front of her.

" Pierce Runner is an .. He's worked in the special forces and has been trained to dismantle nearly any stressful situation, and you, Adira Langley.. You broke his nose and gave him a concussion. No one has ever laid a finger on him in the five years I've had him employed, and you.. a five ft-lightweight doctor, **from the City** -you, you put him into the hospital. You are far from ordinary. "

Waller continued to hover above Adira's bed, her face twisting just slightly, as Adira's eyes widened in alarm. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she was beyond uncomfortable and still very frightened.

" I know that you had the chance to go into the military and become a successful doctor there, but you declined, I'm still not sure why, but.. I also know about the two separate deaths that you were suspected of committing while you were in medical school. Both cases having to drop the charges because of lack of evidence. That evidence being the bodies of the two men they were murdered, were never recovered. "

" I know how cunning, intelligent and skilled you are, Dr. Langley. Don't ever think that you were chosen for some, vanilla-sugar-coated shit reason. You're dangerous, but you're a hell of a doctor, and as hoped, you have done impressively well within the prison thus far. "

Another nurse knocked and entered the room, but Waller had said what she had needed to say, and was on her way out. The ARGUS director shot a cunning look at Adira that only lasted a moment, but had made her uncomfortable for the rest of her stay in the hospital room.

Adira's mind began to catch up to her thought process as she remembered her shady past, and had thought that maybe, all of that was behind her.

 _Fuck._

* * *

It would be another whole week before she would feel well enough to go back to the prison. Once she was there, Adira realized how much she really did enjoy her job.

Amanda Waller's threat or.. was it a compliment? She wasn't sure what Waller was trying to get at when she had spoken to her. The only thing that did fester quietly at the back reaches of her mind, was the fact that she had been formally charged with murder on two separate occasions, but managed to get loose both times. Those files were sealed by the court, and supposedly, unreachable. But leave it to Waller to illegally obtain something to hold for leverage. Either way, it didn't matter. Adira was confident that she wouldn't be able to unearth much more, and no matter how far she looked, she'd never find the bodies.

Harrison Gates and Raymond Wrath were both college professors for her at two different times in her academic career. Both were men who abused their power, both were men who exploited and sexually deviated young girls, and both **had to be dealt with**.

Harrison Gates had been her Economy professor, who loved paying special attention to the innocent freshmen girls that seemed to flock to him for guidance and help. Gates had been involved in three student disappearances of his own, but like Adira, had been excused because of lack of evidence. He did however, forcibly rape her best friend and roommate at the time, and when other girls also tried to come forward with the same allegations, they were threatened.

Taking another life was immoral, and wrong by every standard, but the longer the man got away with hurting more girls, the angrier she became. She didn't think she would ever have the stomach for it. Day dreaming was one thing, but planning a murder and executing it? That something entirely different.

 **But then more girls went missing.**

This time bodies were found, and although there wasn't anything linking the professor to the deaths, she knew it was his MO. The girls were young, barely eighteen, and had been stripped naked after being raped and tossed onto a vacant lot before being buried. Both had attended his class and she had seen them personally enter his office on multiple occasions.

It was difficult for her to sit idly by as a bystander. Her father had instilled some militaristic principles into her, and those were to protect those who couldn't protect themselves, and to put down any threats that proved to be dangerous to the innocent.

And this man was **far from innocent**.

Most freshman girls were too busy getting drunk at parties or worrying about their peers. While Adira couldn't have given a single fuck if someone didn't like her, and as for boys... Well, most of the men that had been interested in her were controlling douchebags, that she couldn't stand to be around anyway. All of which seemed threatened by her strong personality.

She knew no one would suspect her, but there was a small hiccup. The real problem with killing a man twice your size was moving him. Luring him out might also be difficult as well, but as luck would have it, she'd been given a pass.

To her surprise, she didn't have to look far, as Gates came to her.


	13. The Aftermath Pt 2

He'd stopped her before she had left the lecture hall, insisting that she stop by to get some extra help. Adira knew that with her high GPA, she didn't need any tutoring, but couldn't resist the chance to take this freak out.

The biggest problem she'd run into was moving the body.

Adira was almost a hundred and thirty pounds, so moving a man who was a whole foot taller than her and nearly two-hundred and fifty pounds? It was going to be impossible.

With some precise planning and intricate details, she decided to take the predator approach, and much like Mother Nature, she'd let the prey come to her. So instead of meeting him out in his office or getting murdered at his house, she told him that she wanted to take him on a private boat ride.

It wasn't hard to lure him out onto the open water.

The prestigious school she had managed to get into was luckily right on the oceans shore. The Atlantic Ocean would do all of her dirty work, the only thing she needed to do was knock him the fuck out.

Blunt force would cause blood, and blood was evidence, so she'd have to be more thorough. She finally settled on injection as a way to send him out.

Although she was a freshman, she had access to various medical rooms that some of the upperclassmen were in, and it wasn't hard to get a small amount of the drug she needed.

Suxamethonium Chloride was the only thing she could accessibly get her hands on, and it would end of being the perfect tool. This injectable paralytic was metabolized quickly, and as a result, wouldn't show up in any post mortem autopsies. That was if the fish left anything for the police to even examine.

Adira even had an alibi, and as far as anyone was concerned, Harrison had stopped at the marina to take his own boat out. A small detail she'd take care of later.

Once they were far enough out, the only thing she had to do was wait.

Wait for him to get a little **too comfortable** , a little **too handsy** , and a little **too distracted.**

If she was able to describe the pure rush of adrenaline that she was feeling, it could be somewhat summed up as euphoric and utterly terrifying, all at the same time. At any moment something could go wrong, and she could easily become another cold case that is left in open water.

She began to shake uncontrollably as the adrenaline in her blood had caused her body to enter a fight or flight scenario, and it was now or never.

Gates sat next to her, his body completely relaxed, as he put a bare palm onto one of her thighs, and slowly inched his way up her leg. His face grew closer to hers, and eventually he closed in to kiss her neck.

Adira's stone cold face didn't falter, her eyes kept out onto the starry horizon, as she gained one brief moment of clarity. She jammed the needle of the syringe into his neck and injected the solution into his body, and before he could react, Gate's body had gone completely limp.

Although he was in a heavy paralyzed state, he was still pretty coherent, and as Adira moved quickly to push him off of her, she watched as his eyes lazily followed her.

She was absolutely fucking terrified, and knew that if she didn't hurry, she was going to vomit all over him. She pulled the large zip ties from the glovebox of the boat and worked without any more hesitation. Pulling up both of his hands behind his back, she tied his wrists together. She did the same thing to his ankles, before rolling him over onto his back.

Adira put her weight onto his chest as she pulled her leg over him and mounted his stomach. She took another deep, trembling breath before bending forwards and clearing her throat.

" I'll see you in hell.. "

She whispered into his ear and pulled up, a small menacing grin crossing her lips as she put a cloth gag into his mouth and pushed herself up from his body.

In one fierce motion she unlocked the hinge on the back of the boat, releasing a small portion of the stern that let the crest of the oceans waves break against and wash up into the interior of the boat. With a forceful kick she pushed a hard blow into his side, sending his limp body rolling a few feet. Again she repeated the motion as his body grew closer and closer to the water.

" You know where we are right.."

Adira's voice cracked as she began to lose her breath, this whole ordeal was putting her body into overdrive and working her last reserves of strength.

She kicked him again, and this time Gate's body rolled just far enough that his knees and feet were touching the black outbreaks of water. Hard, unforgiving waves of water were now reaching up to grab him, soaking his clothing as he remained completely still.

" We're in peak stream season.. This Gulf current will have you half way to fucking South America before anyone even realizes you're gone. "

Adira didn't notice the tears that began to flood her eyes and fall down her cheeks. Her emotions were beginning to nullify her sense of survival, as the pent up anger and hormones began to bubble to the surface.

She slammed into him again, almost there.

One last glimpse. She took in one more look, not realizing that she'd remember this moment the rest of her life. Gate's eyes frantically looked around him, as though he was stuck inside **screaming** , unable to get out.

" I hope it fucking hurts. "

Adira managed to whisper under her breath as she sent one final kick into his chest, barreling his body off of the back of the boat and into the black crackling waves, and he was gone in a matter of seconds.

Harrison Gates was reported as missing late Monday evening, but rumors soon swirled that the professor had run off with a young woman. Adira knew the truth. By Monday night, Gate's body was long gone.

* * *

Raymond Wrath was a new story for another time. His story was much more personal, much more gruesome, and his death still woke her up out of a dead sleep from time to time. But, much like Gates, Wrath deserved every inch of pain and agony that he got.

Adira had returned to the prison, and before she could even unlock her office, she heard a familiar voice brush past her ears. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and she hesitated to turn, unsure of what seeing him might bring.

" Adira.. "

His voice was full of pain now, and she still held her stance, facing away from him. The low tone and rasp of his voice made her chest tighten as she felt a familiar, welcoming tug in her chest. Digger's accent pushed through thickly, as he almost sounded like he was mispronouncing her name as 'Deeruh'. It didn't matter to her, he could stutter her name into a new word, and he'd still have the same affect on her.

She turned to face Digger for just a brief moment as a stranger quickly prowled from behind her.

The left side of her face was still healing and was light shades of purple and green, both mixing together in a sick symphony of pain. Her left eye was still blood shot, but fully functional, leaving the rest of her still healing face to look normal compared to the sudden discoloration.

DIgger's rough and tough facial expression immediately dropped down to utter disbelief, as a look of sheer terror focused through his eyes.

" Oh-luv, I'm.. "

Digger's breath seemed to be taken from his body as he tried to come up with the words to console her. He spat nonsense for a few moments, speaking in a thick Australian accent, spewing curses and apologizing again and again for not being able to protect her. His face said everything his words couldn't.

Digger's own face seemed to of lost most of its color the longer he looked at her. Finally he was out of breath, trying to push past the guard that was escorting him, to get to her.

Adira noticed the multiple bruises he had of his own, along his bare forearms and under one of his eyes.

A lighter thought popped into her head as she wondered if he beat himself up, **because how could one human being get into so many god damn fights and still be standing.**

Digger looked rough.

His facial hair had thickened in along his strong jaw line, and his hair was curly and loose, and nearly falling into his eyes.. and those dark circles. At first she had thought he had two black eyes, but now she was realizing that they were just darkened areas under his eyes, probably from lack of rest.

She wanted to help him.

 _Really? Help him?_ **You're fucking ridiculous.**

She knew it was insane, but just seeing him upset made her want to console him, but their last conversation was still close in her mind.

A broad shouldered military officer slowly approached her from behind and reached to where she was standing. He extended out a firm hand and gripped her shoulder, all while just trying to get her attention. Startled and frightened, Adira turned and threw a rogue punch at the attacker.


	14. Certainty

" No..No-no, sweetheart, don't tell those people where daddy lives. "

Griggs was heading into the prison for his day shift, before he even had a chance to enter the building, his daughter had called to tell him that some people had stopped by to see where he lived, and that he owed some friends some money.

" You know how people are always joking about that shit right. "

Griggs now spoke on the phone to his who was furious that a group of strangers had showed up to her home and interrogated their five year old.

" It adds character Denise. "

He tried to cover up the fact that they could very well of been used as collateral or been just another murdered statistic. He didn't get paid until Thursday, but for some loansharks, that wasn't soon enough.

Griggs somewhat recounted the previous weekend, but then again.. there had been a lot of half naked women, more liquor than he could stomach, and most of the gamblers in the room were more than happy to lend him a few thousand dollars. He got distracted when he shouldn't have.

" Hey-hey listen, I'm going to have to call you back. "

Griggs spoke in a voice that had just a touch of southern stint to it, while simultaneously hanging up on the still very angry mother to his children, he peered around him cautiously. There was a sound that echoed throughout the parking lot outside the prison, and he was sure that it was a scream.

The swampy shit land that the prison sat on and the high winds that ripped through the area, both contributed to noises being lost or to those being heard that weren't there. So he was hesitantly walking through the parking lot that was filled with cars, but no people.

Another scream echoed past him, but this time he was sure it was a woman. It was just a few seconds later that he nearly jumped out of his skin as a loud car alarm began to scream through the lot, the sound bouncing off of the hard pavement below and off of the many empty cars that surrounded it.

Griggs picked up his pace. He was going to get the fuck out of there.

Maybe one of those freaks escaped from the prison?

The best case scenario was that someone might be being murdered, and the worst case? The loan collectors had found out where he worked and were collecting their debt.

He practically sprinted through the car lot, nearly passing Adira's small compact car, after realizing that it was her car that was going off. He passed her car by nearly hour vehicles, his feet slowing down hesitantly as he knew that it was bad news sticking his nose where he wasn't wanted.

He sighed and groaned loudly, cursing at the sky above, and to the god that wasn't fond of his big appetite for expensive girls and illegal drugs.

He didn't want to get into some shit that he wasn't prepared for.

He backtracked as the scream remained fresh within his mind, knowing full well that it was probably that annoying bitch doctor that loved to boss him around and make him feel small.

Griggs peeked over the car next to Adira's, noticing that there was a man pushing himself on top of her, along her back seat. That man being someone who he never in his life, would ever fuck with. Pierce Runner.

" Fucking shit-cunt.."

Griggs cursed loudly, cowering behind the car as he watched Adira pull up her body and slam a hard, fast fist into Runner's face, temporarily debilitating him as she tried to crawl her way from her backseat and to safety.

Runner recovered quicker than she had expected, and yanked at her legs, pulling her back into the back seat of the car, before sending a final blow to her face, knocking her unconscious.

" Fuck. "

Griggs cursed loudly again, letting his body rest against the car he was hiding behind, before briefly sliding down it.

' What the fuck Runner, Waller would literally skin you if she knew what you were doing. '

Griggs thought loudly to himself before peeking up behind the car again, noticing that Runner's body swayed over Adira's body, clearly not entirely well himself. He clumsily took off his shirt before again trying to unbutton his pants.

Griggs cursed again.

He was not a super solder, and not a hero, but he would have to stick his neck out, at least this time.

Griggs cleared his throat before jumping up from behind the car and rushing over to where Runner was.

The first thing he noticed was the amount of blood. There was a smear, maybe from a hand print? On the rear door's window, and some blood along the entrance to the back seat. Griggs didn't hesitate as Runner finished unbuttoning his pants and adjusting himself, just moments from raping Belle Reve's only doctor.

He'd gotten here in the nick of time.

" Hey there big chief, " Griggs spoke in a modest but sarcastic tone, noticing that Runner was also covered in blood. Runner noticed the noise from behind him and slowly peeked over his shoulder, having trouble seeing through his swollen eyes and blood stained face.

" The fuck are you doing here Griggs. "

Griggs's face twisted into an ugly scowl as he glanced behind him at the prison.

" Uh, well, I'm showing up to work for this shithole.. "

Runner ignored whatever answer Griggs was giving him and turned to finish what he had started, before he was interrupted.

" You- you know I can't let you do that Runner."

Griggs spoke up again, watching as Runner, clumsily pushed himself from the backseat of the car and nearly fell over. His balance was gone as the very fresh concussion, that he'd just received, was beginning to negatively affect him.

" Don't you dare.. Speak to me.. "

Runner paced after Griggs, his uneven stumbles and inability to form a coherent sentence, made him look like a zombie. Eventually, Runner collapsed to the pavement just a few feet rom Griggs's feet.

" What a great fucking start to the day."

He whispered under his breath, taking a quick glance over to Adira, who was laying lifeless in the backseat of her car.

Griggs brought up a hand and spoke into the walkie on his shoulder, letting out a heavy sigh as he spoke.

" Hey Jones, bring the boys out to Parking Lot F, and put Runner in a cell. He's going to spittin'angry when he wakes the fuck up. "

* * *

" Is-is Dr. Langley **dead!**? "

One of the officers for the prison had looked over and noticed Adira's unmoving body.

Griggs was already in the back seat of the car, trying to figure out how to go about moving her.

" No fuckhead, she's just unconscious. At least I think. "

Griggs hesitantly pulled at Adira's bare feet. Her legs were completely limp and as he pulled her out, he realized she was practically naked. Adira's skirt had been ripped off and she was just in her underwear, while her top was also torn.

The dead weight of her body was a bit much, and half way out of the car, he lost his grip and accident dropped her, which caused him to go into another cursing fit.

" Rick! Go get my fucking car god damnit! "

Griggs screamed at the man behind him as he forcefully threw his keys at him. He then turned and wiped his forehead, which spread Adira's fresh blood across his temple.

Adira's hunched body was unnaturally laid on the ground. Her back was propped up against the car and her head was hanging at a complete 90• angle, which made it look like her neck was broken.

" Oh my god. "

One of the guards looked at Adira, before covering his mouth. He shared a frightened look with Griggs before sprinting off behind a car and vomiting.

" Pull yourself together! "

Griggs angrily scorned the guard before turning to face Adira.

" Are you going to call Waller? "

Another guard chimed in and Griggs shot him an angry glare.

" Fuck no, that crazy bitch would run through this place like a fucking hurricane. No-thank-you. "

Griggs was having trouble lifting Adira again. Although she was very light, her completely relaxed body was making it hard to get a grip on her.

He finally gave up and sloppily through her over his shoulder. Adira's body slipped some, but Griggs brought an arm up and accidentally got a hand full of bare ass.

" WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT! **_Get the god damn door!_** "

Griggs's voice boomed through the parking lot as the heavy Louisiana sun began to beat against them. One of the guards opened the back door to his truck and Adira was placed into the back seat, or rather tossed. Griggs was running around too fast to take his time being gentle with her. He pulled the other guard from the car before getting in himself and rushed from the penitentiary.

A grown man running into an ER with a nearly naked women was strange enough, but Adira was nearly dead by the time they reached the hospital. So when he tried to leave after dropping him off, he was immediately stopped and detained by the police.

Which led to the one phone call he got, the first opportunity he had, Griggs called Waller. The police were threatening him with over a dozen charges, and even through he wanted to avoid it, he had no choice. Waller was called in, she was explained what had happened, and immediately had Griggs released.

* * *

Digger's longing gaze was interrupted by the sudden sensation of someone grabbing her arm.

Adira's body reacted as expected. Her body cowered, and jerked away from the unfamiliar hand as she sent a sudden knee-jerk reaction back at the intruder, and brought up a sudden hand of her own.

The uninvited guest caught her free fist, and jerked his head side ways, as to avoid the punch if his attempt to grab her failed. He stared down at her with surprised, unsure eyes as Adira's body trembled for a moment, remembering being attacked just a few short weeks ago.

" M-maam, My name is Rick Flag, I was supposed to introduce myself to you, per. Amanda Waller. "

The man's southern voice further distended, as he seemed to either be chewing on something or the inside of his cheek. His lean features and wide eyes startled her as she withdrew her balled up fist from his hand.

" You, " He laughed under his breath as he tried to speak lightly, " You live up to your reputation. "

Adira's mouth was gaped slightly as she let a highly disgruntled look pass over her face, not even remotely happy that a stranger had tried to put a hand on her, and then make a friendly pass at her.

Fuck this guy.

Any soldier of Waller's would indefinitely be an enemy of hers. It was just a matter of time.

" Boomerang. "

Flag casually greeted Digger, which brought Adira's attention from Flag and to Digger, who was being escorted behind her.

Flag casually nodded at Digger, which brought up even more question.

Why the fuck did this military douche know Digger?

" Tha' fuck you here for?"

Surprisingly, Digger's raspy voice showed little emphasis on starting a fight with Flag, but rather he was simply just curious.

" Waller's orders. "

The way Flag said Waller's name reeked with disgust. He didn't seem overly thrilled to be speaking about the ARGUS Director, which further intrigued Adira.

Digger was being escorted to his cell, and Adira couldn't help but remember their last conversation.

They both stared at one another for a moment as Digger struggled in his cuffs, trying to take in her face for just a few moments longer.

What he had said to her before and the way he was looking at her now, well they were completely the opposite. She couldn't tell what was going on, but she might let her own pride hit the floor, and go visit him later.

" Do you think that maybe, you could not be a fucking creep... and stop following me around? "

Adira had stopped abruptly in the halls of Belle Reve. Flag seemed a little taken aback, not expecting the prestigious doctor to have a sailors mouth.

She was done with formalities. She was still in a lot of pain, and didn't need him sniffing around after her.

Flag walked the same way many of the military men in her family walked, and by that, she meant like, ' _kinda a dick'_

Protruding shoulders, chest out, with a cold-distant gaze. Walking around like the hallway wasn't big enough for him...

She was over it.

Flag cleared his throat and quietly nodded at her before beginning to walk away.

" Listen-uh, " Flag seemed hesitant to ask something, but he eventually spat it out. " I know it might not mean nothin'but, I won't let anyone attack you like that again. You're safe with me here. "

Flag shared a small lasting glance with her. Adira's lips pursed together as she began to feel a wave of emotions wash over her, but no words would come out.

Instinctively her guard went up, and she silently waved 'goodbye' at him, in an attempt to make him leave.

The result of which was him letting out a snarky scoff, and walking away. She hates empty promises, and this man was a stranger to her, how could he act so informally around her?

Adira was done being polite. She was going to go about her day without feeling uncomfortable about it.

Still on edge from her recent attack, Adira would later realize Flag was her comrade, not her enemy. But for now, the idea of a stranger lurking behind her was too much to deal with.

Her weary eyes closed for just a few moments, letting her anxious mind begin to decompress. She had so much on her mind and so many questions.

She should of been more curious as to why Digger knew Flag, or what might happen if the very aware Flag figured out that Digger was her favorite prisoner to visit, but the most pressing questions wasn't either of those.

 **The only thing she could stand to think of was visiting him again.**

* * *

Even though she was well adjusted to her night shifts at Belle Reve, there was still an uncanny 'creepy' vibe that rolled through the prison just before three am. She was sure it was just her paranoia, but the uncomfortable feeling she'd get.. well it was Erie.

Maybe it was because there were very few guards on staff, or because the cold cement floor of the prison always seemed damp at that time in the early morning hours, but for what ever the cause, she didn't enjoy being out in the halls by herself.

She did enjoy leaving her office at this time to visit Digger, as the brief elated feeling he gave her, always seemed to calm her soul. Without realizing it, she'd always seek him out around this time. Tonight would be no different.

Digger's cell was occupied with only one guard, and he spoke to her briefly before opening the door to Digger's cell.

" I'm glad your feeling better, Dr. Langley. "

Adira flashed him a bright smile before winking at him and speaking quietly.

" Evidently I'm pretty hard to kill. "

Digger immediate stood up upon seeing Adira at his cell's entrance, but she didn't go further than the cell's threshold.

" Say Rick, could you do me a favor? "

The guard immediately responded with a firm nod, awaiting her request.

" George Harkness has an infected wound that I noticed earlier, and I'm going to need him to be brought to the shower room please to clean the affected area. And maybe, if ya'could give him some cloths that don't have blood on them too? For me please. "

The officer nodded and gave her his word that he'd make it happen.

" You're the best, thank you. "

Adira flashed the guard another warm smile before entering Digger's cell, the door to his cell immediately closing behind her.

Digger swallowed hard, his body fidgeting as Adira took her time coming into his cell. He greeted her the moment she entered the room.

* * *

" **Listen**..."

Adira took a deep breath, trying to explain that maybe she'd overstepped her boundaries in some way, but Digger wouldn't give her the chance.

His speed picked up the moment she was close enough to him, and he didn't hesitate to lean down and nearly scooped her off of the floor.

The big breath that Adira had taken to explain herself, was forced from her lungs as Digger wrapped his arms down and around her. His posture hunching as he didn't care how uncomfortable it made him. Adira would have fallen over if he didn't have such a tight grip on her.

She just stood there for a few moments, taking all of him in.

The scruff that lined his jaw brushed against the side of her face, and it eventually found its way to her neck. Adira let the side of her cheek rest against his face, and for a few moments she closed her eyes and let a feeling of peace overwhelm her.

Adira brought up her arms and gently rubbed Digger's back with her palms. Her fingers tightly tracing the rippled muscles on his mid back, eventually letting them relax and rest against his lower back.

They both stayed still for just a few more moments. Adira felt Digger's hot, damp breath cling to her bare neck, sending ripples of bumps along her skin. She clung to him a little tighter, and couldn't help but feel like this was where she was supposed to be.


	15. The Sentinel

**I'm a day late with updating! Sorry about that!**

* * *

His hands had wrapped around her petite frame and for a few moments she forgot they were in a cell, inside of a prison. She forgot about the horrific attack that had happened just weeks ago, or that she had nearly died. She forgot all of those things the moment he touched her.

" I can't protect'ya from in here... Adira."

The sound of her name coming from his lips made her lean into him a little more.

He shouldn't have to protect her. But, she knew what he was trying to say. She loved how overly protective he sometimes would get, it made her feel special.. in some kind of depraved way. The only person at fault was Runner, and luckily, she hadn't seen or heard anything from or about him.

 _Hopefully that overbearing, abusive cunt was dead._

" That's not your job Digger. "

Adira spoke into his torn, discolored shirt. Her face relaxing into his shoulder

" Tha'fuck it is. "

Digger clapped back at her quickly, sending a bright lively smile over her lips, that eventually began to make her healing face throb.

" Take off your shirt. "

Adira spoke softly, still not moving from her comfortable position. Digger abruptly pulled away from her, and she watched from just a few inches away, as a large smile passed over his face. Although his teeth weren't showing, the smile was big enough that Adira had to hold back a laugh.

Digger's eyes flashed with a brief lustful light and she playfully shoved him away.

" Don't even. "

Adira laughed through her short sentence, softly trying to ward Digger off.

" You're the one'commn onto me doll. "

Digger's comment made her cheeks flush for a moment as she sternly approached him and stopped directly in front of him.

She could feel the warmth that had just flushed across her cheeks, slowly spread to her neck as she carefully reached out and let the tips of her fingers sink under Digger's white t.

Her fingers meticulously brushed upwards, slowly pulling the tight shirt from over Digger's lean stomach and solid chest.

His lips came down again, this time lightly touching her temple as he rose his arms up from his sides and to her shoulders. One of his immense palms found its way up to her face. Digger lightly ran his rough knuckles along her jaw, tracing her features for a moment, just before stopping at her lips.

The soft touch of her fingers against his bare skin, caused him to lean in closer to her. Adira let her touch lazily pass over his abdomen, stopping a few times, as imperfections caught her hand. A scar here and there before she finally reached his chest.

The palm of his hand continued to hold her chin, and she felt his thumb pause on her bottom lip, tracing it for a few moments. Finally his hands left her body and Digger lifted up his arms, as her hands grew too high for her to reach, and he helped pull the shirt from over his head, before lazily throwing it to the ground below them.

He leaned into her, and for a moment her lips parted, wanting to stop him.

Digger's broad shoulders relaxed down as his body firmly pressed against hers, and he followed her steps. Adira unintentionally backtracked towards the wall just behind her. The moment her back knocked against the cold concrete, she began to feel how overheated her body was.

She felt his hands come up, slipping past her lab coat and against her hips. She tried to fight the urge to close her eyes, but eventually they fluttered close the longer he touched her. Adira let her hands rest against his chest and abdomen, as if by some chance she got the strength to push him away from her.

 _But she couldn't_ _ **, because this was what she wanted too.**_

Digger had a large scar on the left side of his chest, that she would have never noticed if her hands hand't found it buried underneath some tuffs of chest hair.

He had so many different healed wounds, and she wanted to listen to how he'd gotten each one. Another time, perhaps.

She knew he hadn't taken care of the wound on his shoulder, and that it needed to be looked at. But as his body loomed closer to hers, and his lips were just moments from catching hers, she completely forgot about the injury, and relaxed into him. Her lips pressed against his for just a moment before she pulled away, feeling every inch of her inhibition begin to falter.

She couldn't help but notice that he was so careful with her.

Digger was careful around the bruising on her face, and made special attention to not rough house with her body, which was something she had never expected. He leaned in, hesitating for a moment to kiss her, and she could feel the warmth between the two of them grow the longer they remained still.

Eventually her hands felt up his chest and shoulders, ending at his neck. Without missing a beat, she pulled him down to her level and passionately kissed him. He was taken by surprise, and Adira could feel him hesitate for a moment before realizing what was happening.

The moment they broke away, she could feel his hard breath brush past her neck, forcing a cold jolt to creep up her spine and shake past her.

Adira could feel her skin ripple and her body tense as his lips were just a seconds from touching her shoulder, and the sensation of the build up made her tremble just slightly.

Adira and Digger held one another tightly and unexpectedly as there was an abrupt and loud knock at the door followed by the cell door itself opening.

" So Dr. Langley, it's going to-. "

The Prison Officer walked into the room, his keys cackling by his side as his face was deeply focused on a chart in his hands. He glanced up once, and flashed a bright smile at the surprised doctor.

Adira hadn't even realized what was happening, but Digger must have flown to his cot, which was where he currently was. Not one to be embarrassed, she eyed him wearily as the guard continued to walk over and then talk to her.

" I wanted to let you know that we have the room available for him, and that we- "

Another man now entered the room, one whom she still wasn't comfortable around.

Rick Flag entered the room, nodding to the other officer for a moment before shifting his glance to Digger, and then Adira.

" I've been looking for you for fifteen minutes, don't you pick up a phone. "

Flag's southern twang pushed through for a moment, as his beady dark eyes glanced back over to Digger.

" What's wrong with'im. "

Flag nodded off to Digger while keeping eye contact with Adira.

Adira's still flushed face looked a little lost for a moment, but eventually she blinked a few times and briefly licked her bottom lip, trying to come up with a thought.

" He- His shoulder, it's a wound from a few weeks ago, and it wasn't cared for, so I need to have him take an anti-biotic, and use an microbial shampoo once a day for the next week. "

Adira cleared her throat, looking uncomfortably over to Digger, not realizing until now, why he had paced away so quickly to sit.

Digger was on his bunk, with one of his legs crossed over the other, and was some how a little hunched over. He looked incredibly uncomfortable, but with two new male strangers in the room, she knew what he was trying to hide.

Adira bit her bottom lip, containing herself from trying to laugh as she glanced over to him, as he tried to hide the **excitement** from just moments ago. His eyes grew for a moment, realizing that she had figured out why he was sitting so strange.

God forbid one of the men noticed that he had a hard dick.

Adira would never hear the end of it if she pointed it out now, but it was still a little fun to watch him look so utterly helpless.

At this point, she didn't think she'd lose her job. But it would probably make things around the prison a little more annoying. He'd done the right thing by scurrying away.

" What, no snappy come back? "

Flagg pressed Digger as he stood over him, looking on with a somewhat confused expression. Digger opened his mouth to say something, but the moment his body began to move, he completely shut down, shifting his eye contact from Flag and to Adira.

She accidentally snorted, as the breath of air that she was holding in, shot out of her mouth in a sharp exhale. She was trying to hard to not laugh, but the longer Digger looked uncomfortable and embarrassed, the harder it was to not laugh.

All three men looked at her like she was a lunatic.

She cleared her throat and apologized, without another thought she whisked past both Flag and the other officer. She stopped at the small medical bag she had, and went through it for just a moment, before pulling out a small bottle of pills and a pre-filled syringe.

Adira playfully tossed the bottle at the prison guard before glancing over to Digger. She took the protective cap off of the syringe and made her way over to him.

Adira sat down next to him, and shifted her body so he wouldn't have to move too much. The large wound on his shoulder that he had obtained while getting ambushed, was infected. The dissolving stitches had done their job and kept the wound closed, but Adira could tell by the redness and swelling that it still needed work.

She injected into the site of the irritation and let out a deep, relieved sigh.

" I honestly thought this was going to be worse than it is.. "

She spoke quietly against the back of Digger's head, forgetting that Flag and the other officer were still in Digger's cell.

The two officers spoke for a moment, and Adira took this opportunity to speak quietly with Digger.

" Are you sure you don't want to get up and speak with them? "

Digger's brows immediately began to furrow as another half cocked smile passed over his lips.

" We could just finish'in front of em'. "

Adira knew he was joking but the comment had still caught her off guard. She playfully slapped the arm that held the injured shoulder and spoke the word "No!" very loudly, prompting both Flag and the other officer to look at them.

Both Adira and Digger remained silent and completely still, as though they knew they were in trouble.

" You know.. " Digger trailed off for a moment, leaning back some, and getting closer to her, " I like it when you visit me too. "

She knew he was referring to the last time they had spoken and when she had gotten up the courage to tell him how she felt.. well kind of.

She wasn't going to outright tell him how she felt, but it was a start.

" He promised me that he wouldn't touch you, if'uh, back off.. " He paused, a sincere look passing over his face for a few moments, " and that cunt still tried to get you.. I'm so sorry'dira. "

Digger's eyes nervously shifted from hers and to the floor, she could tell that he was being sincere, but was having a hard time speaking to her with other people in the room. Both Flag and the other officer were still hanging out with Digger's Cell with the door open. They were speaking about the other inmates within Belle Reve.

While their attention was directed towards the door she quickly grew to her feet and turned around, bending over him. She passively kissed his forehead, letting her lips linger there as inhaled.

She pulled away and straightened her posture. Digger's bright intense eyes matched hers as she moved. Adira put the plastic sheath back onto the used needle head and shoved it back onto the pocket of her lab coat. She prolonged her time a few more seconds as she took his features in. Eventually, Adira spoke quietly to him with a warm smile.

" I'll see you tomorrow. "

She could feel Digger staring at her, watching her protectively as Flag followed her from his cell. He was escorted by the other officer to the lavatory where he could shower and change, while Adira went into the opposite direction with Flag.

" If you need any files on any of the inmates just ask-."

Adira was cut off by Flag, who's voice was not only deeper than hers, but also louder.

" So how long has **that** been going on? "

Flag walked next to her as the two of them paced through the empty hallways of the Prison. Adira shot him a puzzled look, her mouth pouting slightly as she felt her chest begin to tighten.

" What? "

The corner of Flag's mouth began to curve up as he shifted his eyesight equally between her and their destination. There was no way he could have known anything. He had only been at the prison for the day, or well, part of a night rather.

He wasn't even the first one to walk into Digger's cell, so Adira knew her paranoia was getting the best of her. She tried to quiet her fears and swallowed the hard lump in her throat. Flag was right on point, and as he spoke, the small smirk that was on his face, began to grow into a full blown grin.

 **" You and Harkness. "**


	16. Sunshine

This chapter is a little cut and dry, but I'm excited for the next one! We're going to meet the new Suicude Squad! So stay tuned.

* * *

" You look a little underweight. "

Adira shot a snide remark at Flag while she sat at her desk in her office. She was going through some of her patients charts and trying to finish her lunch, but Flag was persistent with watching her every move.

 **She knew that there was something he wasn't telling her.** Flag had been with her at the prison for almost a month now, but this past week, had been acting erratically. Adira knew the beginning signs to post traumatic stress, and a few other mental illnesses, and Flag was showing signs for most of them. Either he was on the cusp of a breakdown, or something else had happened in his personal life.

This past week he had been on edge most of the time they were together, and for a few days she had put up with it.

 **But she was hungry** and aggravated with how probing he was being. He'd followed her to and from her car and within the prison. Enough was enough, she hardly had the room to think or breath without him looming down on her.

It was too fucking much. He was annoying her.

" Hm? "

Flag had shot an uninterested grumble at her, not listening to what she was saying, while he stared outside her open office door. He watched the other guards go about their routines, and occasionally would glance at Adira with a strained, bug eyed expression.

He's wound way too tight..He needed a piece of ass..

" You look anemic, and you're obviously not sleeping enough.. And you're underweight."

Flag immediately took to the offensive, not appreciating the direct and honest words that Adira was more than happy to offer.

" Underwight- **yeah hah** , coming from the puny asian doctor."

Adira's face twisted into an distasteful scowl as she dropped the fork she was using to eat with, and gave him her full attention.

" Listen, I know that you're a war veteran, you've been a military brat your entire life, and that you carry that shit with you.. and listen, asshole, my whole family is in the military, I know when a man is burnt out. Take a day off, and please leave me alone for five-fucking minutes. "

Flag's face flashed with a bit of anger as he turned from the open doorway to face her. Without hesitation he quickly cleared the room to where she sat and planted both of his palms onto her desk. Attempting some sort of shift in power, Adira watched as his dark eyes intensified and he frowned down into her.

" Lady, you don't know shit. "

Flag's thin features only showed his level of anxiety that much more. As his shoulders slouched, his face grew down closer to hers, and as he spoke, she could faintly smell cheap liquor.

" What did she do. "

Adira spoke in an intentionally vague tone, letting Flag's mind do most of the work for her, and for a moment it worked. She knew it had to be his superior, it had to be Waller that had meddled with him somehow.

His face softened for a fleeting moment, letting Adira see a genuine look of fear pass over his face before his guard went back up.

Waller had done something. Adira didn't second guess her selfish motives for even a second.

" What about you, huh? Runnin'round with a criminal. "

Adira's lips pursed slightly as she held back a smile. She didn't want to feed into his misconceptions too much. Even if they were true.

" That, is none of your business. "

Flag's eyes narrowed as he got closer to her, leaning over her large metal desk as he spoke quietly. A snide look crossing his face as he assumed he had the upper hand.

" This whole place is my fucking business. And you..."

Flag trailed off as he maintained his fierce facial expression, and the closer he grew to her, the more exhausted she could tell he was.

" You need to control yourself. "

Much like Runner, Flag was a loud, impulsive control freak, but Adira knew that Flag was a good man. He would never intentionally hurt her, and as a result, she'd tried to befriend him. But he was difficult to deal with.

Adira's lips lingered open as she began to speak, but was interrupted by her wrist.

It was seven thirty in the morning, and time for her weekly schedule. Her watch had just alerted her that it was recreation time. A special time of the week where she'd take one of the Maximum Security inmates and bring them outside for a quick chat and some sunshine.

She pushed down the lump of anger and frustration that had formed in her throat, and managed to form a half cocked, half earnest smile.

" I'm going to go escort inmate Lawton to the outside courtyard. Would you like to come? "

Of course you'll fucking come, you literally follow me everywhere.

Flag looked a little taken aback, but briefly lifted his palms from her desk before quietly nodding.

Boom

She knew she had him. The only inmate that Flag seemed to care about was Floyd Lawton, and there had been a few occasions where Adira had caught the two of them quietly discussing things, things that they would immediately stop speaking about once she was too close.

Last week it had been Digger, and Adira had to listen to Flag's mouth go off about how burned she was going to be if Waller had found out that she was 'spending private time' with an inmate. She still hadn't admitted to anything, as far as Flag was concerned, she was just extra caring with Digger, nothing more.

* * *

The day that she had taken Digger out, it was beautiful and sunny with a very brief, crisp chill in the morning air.

 **She would have given anything to see that look on his face again**. Digger's normally abrasive and crude mouth was uncharacteristically quiet, as he had his first breath of fresh air in months. He sat at the table just adjacent from her, and occasionally shot her a toothy grin.

" Thanks, for this luv. "

He was genuine when he spoke, dropping the volume of his voice just slightly.

The warm rays of the sun and the welcoming breeze made him turn into a humblr man. He took long moments just staring out past the prison, which would bring up more questions.

She assumed he was thinking of life outside the prison. Of whatever he was doing before he got put into here, or of what he was going to do if he ever got out.

Adira wanted to completely let her guard down around him. She wanted nothing more than to imagine herself with him, outside of this ugly fucking box.. But, they'd known each other for over half a year, but she'd barely had any real conversations with him. Most of them were interrupted by other prison officers, or some kind of catastrophe.

A small part of her did wonder if he would ever be with her if he was out... or maybe he'd run.

" You smell that. "

The side of Digger's mouth peaked slightly as his bright green eyes flashed over to her deep brown ones. She could feel her body catch a familiar feeling of elation as he spoke to her, and without hesitation she silently waited for him to answer.

" Smoke, sweetness. I smell a fire... God I fuckin'miss being out'ere. "

He paused and Adira could see the gears work within his mind.

" So, this is what we're'gunna to do. "

Adira watched his cuffed hands come up, as he tried to emphasize his plans with his hands.

" Gunna'ave you go over there, punch that fuck, and take his gun. "

Digger spoke in a low volume, but Flag could easily hear what they were talking about. His expression deepened from discontent to pissy as Digger explained his escape plan, which involved punching Flag in the nads and running away with his gun.

" I'll take the two blokes by the gate-and before you know it, we're out. Me and you'll be nuddy at tha'shore before they know what's happened. "

Adira held back a wide, flirtatious smile. The corners of her mouth looked strained as she tried to control herself.

" Nuddy? "

Digger's face shifted to confused for a spilt moment before he elaborated.

" Nuddy, naked. " Digger spoke as though none of this was a big deal, but instead was just something very casual. " We could be drinkin'brews by tha water, nuddy for'a few. Then, Dira' you'd love Australia. "

Adira could feel the apples of her cheeks begin to flush as she smiled, and let her gaze drift off past him. The early morning light caught his face just right, and brought out his features. Adira could see how beautiful and brilliantly lit his eyes looked, and how even though they were just sitting here quietly, there was a dormant fire within them.

That chaotic part of him.. The part that everyone else seemed to **either fear** or want to damper, that was the part that she loved the most. It appealed to her over everything.

Men had tried throwing money at her to tame her fire, tried to physically restrain her and had tried to belittle her. But she couldn't really remember a time when she had ever been in love with any of them. Digger was more different than any man she'd ever met.

He not only accepted her fierce spirit, **he encouraged it.**

" What would I like the most-"

" **Oh please! Can we wrap this up**? "

Adira was interrupted by a rude voice that shot at both her and Digger, and sunk its teeth into her back. Flag angrily spoke to both of them, clearly done with listening to their banter.

Adira didn't bother holding back the growing excitement as she sulked slightly, flashing a toothy grin over to Digger. Both of them shared a blissful look with one another, enjoying the last few moments of fresh air before they had to bring him back inside, and she had to go home.

" So if we leave now.." Adira put her chin into her palm, and rested her elbow against the metal table top. She deeply smiled as she spoke and watched as Digger leaned in to hear what she was saying, " we can have some coffee and breakfast, there's a small place, just around the corner from my apartment.. "

" Adira! "

Digger's brow furrowed the moment Flag spoke to her informally and angrily. She watched as the smirk faded from Digger's face, as their remaining time together began to dwindle. It was clear to her that he didn't enjoy Flag's tone, or the way he was speaking to her.

" Maybe next time. "

Digger's gaze shifted to just beyond her and to Flag, before refocusing back onto her. She continued to wear the same warm smile as before, not wanting him to become worried or upset.

A sudden current of warmth began to course up her arm, forcing the fine hairs on her skin to rise and goosebump. It took her a few moments to notice that one of Digger's hands had managed to reach out and rest over one of hers. Adira didn't let her eyes drift to their overlapping fingers, but instead, kept a constant lock on his eyes.

He subtly rubbed his calloused fingers over hers, as their last few moments came to an end.

 **She hated this next part the most.**

It was like watching the most beautiful and powerful animal you'd ever seen being put into a small cage to rot. She'd give anything to be able to let him out of here.

Adira would be lying if she said that the thought hadn't crossed her mind. She'd thought of so many little flaws that the prison had.. Poor staffing on weekends and at night, loose restrictions on outside vendors who entered the prison, and the always shady management that this place was run under.

The prison was at its weakest during the hours of two am and five am.. There would have to be some sort emergency, maybe a fire or prison riot? Sh'd have about forty five minutes to safely escort him from one of the three major exits that Belle Reve had, and another hour to be outside the patrol zone for the prison's vicinity.

But then again, that would be crazy.

There was one conversation with Rick Flag that had Adira curious. He had mentioned that she shouldn't worry about the inmates so much, because they were **chipped**. For a few weeks she had toyed with what he had said, not sure if he was just spitting words, referencing something entirely different, or if there was something much more sinister at work.

Today she was going to clear a few things up.

Floyd Lawton had been the next inmate within her rotation to get outside recreation time, and she waited until Flag was busy speaking with a few of the other officers before she let her forearms rest against the metal table, and hunched over just slightly.

" Okay.. wierdo.. "

Lawton openly mocked Adira, as she didn't notice how suspicious she was looking while trying to do the exact opposite. Lawton's comment caused her breath to stop halfway through her lungs, as she tried to breath and accidentally snorted into a small laughing fit instead.

The commotion drew Flag's attention for a few moments, but after shooting her yet another disgruntled look, he was quick to go about his business.

" Listen, I need a favor.. "

She spoke to Lawton who was deep within his own thoughts. He listened to her request before taking a few more moments to himself, as he looked out past the prison and to the sky beyond that. Slowly his vacant eyes closed as a hard brush of air pushed past them, lifting the swamp smell from their open area, and replaced it with a softer, natural breeze.

He kept his eyes closed, and offered her a small grumble as a reply.

" Flag mentioned something-I mean it's probably nothing, but-"

" Spit it out, Adira. "

Lawton's voice had a small amount of impatience to it, but she'd give him shit for that later.

"He said something about being chipped, earlier-and-"

" Yeah that bitch put microchips in our necks, a while ago.. Back when there was that terrorist attack in uh- fuck what was the name.. "

"Midway City? "

Adira's voice was blunt but quiet, as she cut him off, her voice losing its strength as she spoke.

She had remembered seeing that entire incident from an E.R TV screen. That was when she was finally done with school and on her first round as a doctor when the chaos broke out.

" Y-yeah, they, well Waller, had them put this shit in our necks to keep track of us while we fought **it** off. "

" Thats.. awful, Floyd I had no idea that it was all of you that saved the city. "

" Yeah well, we're missing one. The nut job escaped just a month before you got here, I'm surprised you didn't hear about her. "

HER!? A female inmate in a maximum security ward?

" Harley Quin. " Floyd sounded a bit too formal as he properly enunciated her name.

" She was crazy as shit, but she got out so.. "

Lawton shrugged, looking a little uncomfortable speaking about her, his eyes slowly opening and meeting with the rising sun.

" They microchipped your neck!? "

Adira spoke with an alarmed voice, but kept her volume low. Lawton was beginning to lose interest in their conversation, and instead of answering her, he simply nodded.

 **Like fucking cattle.**

Waller had chipped the inmates, used them for her bidding, and then blamed them in the news. Unbelievable. She vaguely remembered hearing the press conference that was held afterwards, and about how the entire attack was blamed on the criminals.

Adira unknowingly brought up a hand to her neck and let her fingers touch the side of her jaw. She couldn't imagine being incarcerated, forcibly given an implant, and then sent out to her death.

She was done playing nice.

" I can get it out, I mean within reason. "

Adira kept her voice low as she spoke, her stern eyes flashing over to his unconcerned ones. He wasn't taking her offer seriously.

" Oh yeah.. risk your job and career to what? Take the chip out and have them put'nother one in? They can track it, and it explodes if they push a button. Thanks, but no thanks. "

Adira watched as Lawton shifted uncomfortably in his seat. They both stayed quiet for a moment until Adira sweetened the deal.

" Think it over, if we did do something like that, you'd have to make sure you keep the implant on you, maybe in a pocket.. you'd have to get the shit beat out if you too, so I'd have an excuse to use the x ray room without looking suspicious. And there is no guarantee that you'd survive. "

Adira flashed a toothy grin at him, causing Lawton to abruptly expel a hard laugh.

" You're crazy too, huh? "

She stayed silent, glancing over to Flag, who was still too busy speaking to one of the officers to even notice her starting eyes.

If Lawton had one, so did Digger. That meant that those silly little day dreams she'd had about him, and them running away, were just that; dreams.

There would no point in ever, even hypothetically, getting him out if Waller could blow off his head with the flick of a switch.

She remained with Floyd for the remaining hour, sparking up a conversation about his daughter again, and briefly she spoke about her parents well being. He seemed uncomfortable speaking about who ever Harley Quin was, so for now she'd leave it.

Flag had them stay a few minutes extra, which Lawton fully appreciated.

Adira wasn't surprised to find out, that not even an hour after she'd left to go home, she'd been called back in to help an inmate in critical condition.

When she asked for the inmates name her heart became unbearably heavy, as she remembered the blood bath she'd found Digger in just weeks ago. But, to her surprise, the inmate's name they listed off, was **Floyd Lawton**.


	17. The Turning Point

**This was it** , this was going to be the turning point of her career; either she'd follow the rules, and stay in line, or she'd take a chance and go against everything she was taught was right.

Adira knew that this would define her, and undoubtedly, make or break her. Everything she had learned about what was right or wrong, seemed to melt into one confusing blur as she began to realize that she wasn't necessarily a good or ethical doctor. She still had her **humanity;** her moral sense to help those who needed assistance, but the way others might view her, would be the complete opposite.

Although this would be only one small procedure, she knew that there was no going back to the way things were. From here on out she'd be considered a criminal.

And she was okay with that. After all, **being good was overrated.**

By the time she got the phone call, she was already getting ready to shower, so she finished her nightly routine, and made her way back into the prison.

The first thought to flash into her mind was Digger's well being.

He's a fucking walking disaster.

Adira let a comfortable smile pass over her face as she walked by his cell, happy that this medical emergency wasn't about him.

The real task at hand was going to be getting Lawton into an x ray machine without any guards around, and to extract the chip without detonating it. She had her. Work cut out for her.

Adira found the guard outside Lawton's cell and spoke in a stern, authoritative voice.

" Inmate Lawton needs to be relocated, now I have some clerical work I need to do, but i need you to escort him to the medical bay promptly. "

" I'll need to run it by Colonial Flag-"

" That's fine, and while you have him on the phone, let him know that he should come in to supervise the medical care as well, I know he just worked a fifteen hour shift, but I'm sure he'll appreciate you calling him. Make sure you give him your name. "

The mans face immediately contorted into an unsure frown as he was second guessing his decision. He cleared his throat and quickly opened Lawton's cell door.

" Could you please go get me a wheel chair? "

Adira's tired eyes flashed a brief glint of no-nonsense, and within moments of hearing her request, he disappeared down the hall. Adira quickly entered the room to see Lawton in bad condition, his face was very swollen and he was hunched over on his bunk, spitting blood onto his cell floor.

" I said get into a fight, not get yourself killed, idiot. "

Adira quietly hissed at him, clearing the room in almost three strides, and hustling over to him to make sure he wasn't excessively bleeding. He didn't immediately react to the sound of her voice, but the touch of her fingers gently grasping his shoulder, was the thing that sparked him awake.

Lawton nearly jumped to his feet, his breathing becoming louder-harder even, as she heard him gasp for air and cough. He wasn't entirely sure who Adira was, and as he brought up a firm fist. Almost immediately he lost his balance and fell to the cell's hard floor.

The officer arrived with the wheel chair within moments of Lawton falling to the floor, and at first he seemed startled. Adira couldn't help but notice his clear uneasiness, and reacted quickly.

" He was too heavy for me to carry.. "

Adira tried to weakly smile, but the guard just scoffed and shook his head.

" Mam, you should have waited. "

The officer scorned her and Adira pretended to be lightly embarrassed, before helping the officer get Lawton into the chair. After he was secured, Adira immediately thanked the officer for his discreetness and shuffled out of the room with the inmate.

" You're pretty fucking fat, you know that? "

Adira cracked a light hearted grin as she pushed him down the hall, having some minor trouble with stopping and going while pushing the chair, she was quick to playfully blame him.

"Fuck you. "

Adira listened to Lawton chuckle at her before going into another coughing fit.

" This isn't going to be a picnic, I just hope you know that. "

Adira waved past a few more guards before finally taking a short elevator ride downstairs, to where one of the Maximum Security inmates was kept, along with a small slurry of storage rooms.

One of those rooms had an x-ray machine and some other medical supplies. There was only one guard down here, and he was placed outside Waylon Jones's cell. However, when Adira passed the inmate's cell she realized that there wasn't even a guard there.

If Waller knew about how lazy the staff had become lately, she'd fucking massacre them.

The room wasn't far off from the sewer cell that Jones was held in, and within minutes of entering the room, she quickly closed and locked the door behind her.

" You're risking a lot'dira.. "

Some how she had gotten Lawton onto the flat table that the machine used to X-ray, and throughout the next few minutes, he would tell her what a bad idea this was.

" Could you for once be grateful, hm? Just sit back for a minute, alright? "

Adira's voice was low but stern, she hissed at him as she moved around him quickly. She turned on every light that the room had and maneuvered around the old boxes of medical supplies and furniture that the room held.

" It's a a cluster-fuck in here, I can't.. even understand."

Adira's quiet voice rose as she impatiently kicked a half full cardboard box across the room, the unclosed box spilling bandaids and other medical supplies all over the room.

She brought up her hands to her mouth and anxiously blew hot air into them before vigorously rubbing them together. Even though they were in Louisiana, it was still almost February, and being almost ten feet underground had made the temperature drop dramatically. She was freezing.

Adira shifted and struggled, but she shifted Lawton's body to the correct location on the bed before warming up the machine and pulling a few things from the pockets in her medical coat.

" This is going to put you out for maybe fifteen minutes, Well-no, I mean you'll be fully coherent but your body will be paralyzed. "

Lawton turned his swollen face to face her, and although his facial features were distorted, she could tell that he was not okay with being shot up with a tranquilizer.

Oh Well.

Adira pulled the plastic tip from the needle'd tip before plunging the tip of the syringe into his arm, injecting with the paralytic. Lawton's arm tried to jerk away as the needle went in, but just moments of the tranquilizer entering his blood stream, he was motionless.

Adira pulled the needle from Lawton's arm and quietly cursed at him, and was quick to call him a pussy.

The machine that Belle Reve had was outdated and, by all means, considered prehistoric when compared to what most hospitals now were carrying.

Adira brought down an adjustable head that hovered above Lawton's head, working quickly as to avoid any pain. She was going to have to shove a needle into his neck or spine, so this wasn't going to enjoyable.

" If you move even an **inch** , you'll either be paralyzed or die, so there is that. "

Adira couldn't contain the growing smirk that grew over her lips as she began to work on him. Although Lawton wasn't moving, Adira could see his angry eyes openly stare up at her.

" I'm just kidding. "

 **No** , she really wasn't

But he didn't need to know the details, all he really needed to do was stay still.

Adira turned on the machine and a low, vibrating hum began to shake across the table and through Lawton's body. There was a digital screen just adjacent from her. She'd work on Lawton's neck while staring at the screen.

She stood behind his head, completely dumbfounded that she could in fact see a small metal, cylinder chip, that was imbedded in his neck. She shifted the device lower to Lawton's face. Preparing herself for the next step, which would indefinitely be both painful and risky.

Adira opened her medical coat again, this time pulling from a large pocket on the inside. What she withdrew was a large plastic instrument that was within a sterile, plastic bag that hadn't been opened yet.

The tool she was using looked like a medieval torturing device, but it would be the one thing that would be able to get the device from his neck, without detonating it.

Adira coule feel an uncomfortable clutch that began to take hold in her gut, and the moment she opened the sterile bag, she felt the pit get a little bit bigger.

If Lawton died, she would have no excuse as to why she was performing this surgery, and if the bomb detonated, well.. hopefully it would kill her.

Adira set the tool down next to Lawton's head before carefully pulling his head to the side, and looking for the scar that the implant would have left. Luckily, there was one.

She only had a few more minutes until the medicine wore off, and Lawton would be in incredible pain, so she needed to do this now.

Adira worked feverishly, not hesitating her own movements for even a moment. She aligned Lawton's head with the machine, and swiftly plugged the thick metal needle into the soft flesh of his neck. She maintained a calm, cool posture as she kept her eyes locked onto the screen that projected the video.

The needle didn't go in smoothly, there was a small spot that she had to hit in-between the top vertebrae of his neck and back, and it was going to fucking hurt no matter how much shit he was doped up on.

Adira's hands strongly held the base of the instrument, as she briefly close her eyes, as the sound of the needle crunching apart his bones in his spine became a little bit too much for her to stand.

The Implant had been placed in much more superficially, but over time the tissues in Lawton's body had grown over it, and eventually pushed it into his spine.

" I'm so sorry. "

Adira quietly sighed out a few words as she made one last shove through a thick bundle of nerves before she reached the chip. Her entire body was no longer cold, but instead was obnoxiously warm, prompting beads of sweat to form on her forehead and neck. She continued in further, just a half inch or so.

A small breath was forcibly expelled from her lungs as she glanced up to the screen again. **This was it.**

Adira let the hollow tip of the needle was almost on top of the inplant, and without wasting any more time, she pulled back just slightly, on the tool's tip. Forceably sucking the small chip into the tool, along with blood and some synovial spinal fluid.

She pulled the tip of the needle out slowly at first, as to avoid more nerve damage, and then closer to surface of his skin, she pulled the rest of the syringe out.

Although he was still under the affects of the tranquilizer, Adira could hear a small gasp of air leave Lawton's lungs, followed by a brief gargle of spit. She knew he had to of felt some of that.

It took almost another twenty minutes, but she managed to clean up the wounds on Lawton's face and give him some antibiotics before cleaning off the chip and examining it.

Lawton watched as Adira inspected the inplant, still amazed that they had been able to harness that kind of technology and then shoot a bunch of people up with it. Meanwhile, Lawton tried to get off the medical table and was quickly put on his ass. The medicine had made his motor functions delayed, and he nearly cracked his head off the floor.

Adira almost dropped the chip while falling to the ground and trying to help him to his feet, and it wasn't until after she safely secured him into the chair, that she realized the chip was still in her hand.

Without saying anything Floyd held out an open palm, ready to receive his gift.

Adira hesitantly put the chip into his hand, and without another word, she wheeled him upstairs.

" You're going to be very sore tomorrow Floyd, and I'm not talking about the normal knuckle to face kind of sore.. " She trailed off before closing in on where his cell was.

" You're going to feel like you just got hit by a god damn fright truck. "

Adira spoke quietly, nodding to an officer walking by. Within the minute she was at his cell, and the same officer that was outside earlier, was still on patrol now.

" He okay? "

The man spoke, wearily eyeing Lawton as he opened his cell.

" Well he just got the shit beat out of him, so no.. He's going to need access to the wash room tomorrow to get rid of the left over blood, but he'll be okay in about a week. "

Adira and the officer both helped Floyd from the chair and to his bunk, where he stumbled onto the cot. Without even adjusting himself, he stayed right where he dropped.

" Be careful with him. "

Adira spoke in a whisper to the guard, and the man weakly nodded back to her.

* * *

" Adira.. **Adira Langley**! "

She was so close.

Her car was just twenty feet from her. A few more strides and she could go home, shower again and try to get some sleep.

" You're needed right away inside. "

The voice that was pestering her was none other than Rick Flag.

" Don't you ever sleep. "

Adira spoke in am unfit, exhausted tone, not even bothering to turn around while she spoke. She knew that rigid, unapologetic voice.

" I will when I'm dead, for now I need you to come with me.. It's urgent. "

How long had be been here for? She had literally just minutes ago just finished with the surgery on Lawton, and now this? It wasn't a coincidence.

Someone had seen her.

The fine hairs on her arms began to stand on end as she reluctantly turned to face him, unsure of what was going on or what would happen to her.

The long stretch of hallway that she was escorted down was one she had walked many times before. This was where the solid concrete floor turned into a soft, discolored carpet, and where some the administrators of the prison worked. There were only a handful, but they never dealt with the prisoners.

" Just up'head. "

Flag's words were a little jumbled, and Adira glanced over her shoulder, noticing that he was either chewing tobacco or on the inside of his cheek.

They continued until they reached an unmarked door. Flag rushed ahead, opening the door for her and letting her mind overload with anxiety and questions.

The room they cautiously entered was a dimly lit conference room.

There was a broken wooden table that was improperly propped up in the center of the room, and on it was a projector. The flat white wall that held the receiving end of the projection, had every inmate she's ever worked with and then some. She was so taken away with seeing Digger's face and mug shot up on the wall, that she didn't notice the two other women in the room with her.

" Dr. Langley, thank you for coming in so quickly. "

That fucking voice...

Amanda Waller's voice penetrated her back, which caused her to cautiously turn to face her. Waller was with another woman, who was in a prison uniform and cuffed to a table. She had beautiful Scarlet hair and piercing eyes.

" Langley, I'd like you to meet Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley.. " Waller motioned with a free hand to the inmate, and almost instantly, the woman locked eyes with Adira.

" ..as well as the rest.."

Waller's voice trailed off again as she then nodded to the projection on the wall, the one that consisted on Digger, Chatos, Lawton and Jones. She finished speaking, keeping a constant eye on Adira.

" of Task Force X. "


	18. The Suicide Squad

" It's a Suicide Squad.. "

Flag spoke quietly, thinking that no one could hear him. Adira glanced over to him with a questioning look before quietly speaking.

".. Suicide.. "

Adira mumbled incoherently to herself as she looked back to the images on the wall, not entirely understanding why she was here at all.

She was so fucking tried. She'd just worked a nearly fifteen hour day, left for a few hours, and was now back again. She needed a snack and a fucking nap for crying out loud.

The beautiful woman that was cuffed and sitting at a table refused to take her eyes off of Adira. Everywhere the doctor moved, the woman's eyes followed.

" Task Force X consists of five inmates that each have their own extraordinary feats.. Chato Santata, Waylon Jones, Digger Harkness, and Floyd Lawton will all be in the group, and we have one more to add... "

Waller glanced over to the female inmate who was behaving a little bit... too well..

" Just recently there was an incident in Starling City.. There was a mishandling of an inmate, and he escaped.. "

Waller shot Flag a very disgruntled look, who immediately averted his eyes from Waller and to Adira. She could see the pure exhaustion in his complexion, and the dark circles around his eyes only magnified how burnt out he was.

Waller clicked a small remote in her hand, which caused the image on the projector to shift. Adira looked to the projector screen to see something very unlikely that didn't even remotely expect.

 **A friend.**

" He looks familiar, doesn't he. "

" **Slade Wilson**.. "

Adira spoke his name out loud and watched as Flag's face immediately flinch in disgust. Adira couldn't help but shift her attention back to Waller, who was wearing the same no-nonsense, no-shit having look that Adira had earlier. She wanted to make a light hearted joke, but she couldn't muster one up.

Why was this bitch fucking with everyone in her life?

" What do you know about Slade Wilson.. "

Waller spoke as a question, but by her tone, Adira knew that this was simply a command. She didn't have much, but Slade had always been a gentleman and an all around great guy. She wasn't sure why Waller was after him, but for what ever the reason, it had to be a mistake.

" My father was briefly deployed to some small islands just outside Australia, Slade was in the Australian Secret Intelligence Service.. He was a few years older than me, he-he," Adira quietly laughed as she spoke. ".. had the cutest accent, and my father was so strict with making sure we always had a chaperone when ever we hung out.. But we moved again, I think I was fourteen, maybe.. It was only for a few months."

Adira's brain tried to work around the time line and she remembered seeing him one last time before she went into college.

" The last time I saw him was about eight years ago.. He came to my father's retirement service and we talked for a while there.. Back then he was Captain Slade Wilson, such a fucking show off.. "

Adira's face gained a bright smile as she whispered her curse quietly to herself, remembering how he had tried to kiss her, and then immediately after, told her that once he made the rank of Major, that he was going to come sweep her off her feet.

It took her a minute but she realized why she might have loved Digger's accent so much; it was because Slade Wilson's voice had the very same untamed-unruly Australian sound.

Shit.

Adira chuckled to herself, noting that if Digger ever knew that she had an Australian ex-what-ever-he-was, he would be so angry.

Maybe she'd tell him on purpose.

" He was an exceptional man, very-very skilled, the last word I had from him, was that he was set to get married to a young service woman.. "

Adira looked back to Waller, and slowly the amused look on Adira's face began to fade; something had happened. That was the only reason they were all summoned like this and why Waller was being so fucking-crafty about getting information from her.

" Starling City is on lockdown, and the one meta human we had to protect the city, has momentarily vanished. "

" The Speedster? "

Flag chimed in quietly, looking to Waller for conformation. Waller nodded, immediately shifting her eyes to Adira.

" We believe that Slade is working with a few different.. lets just say very **bad** people.."

Waller clicked the remote in her hand again before the slide shifted to Startling City which was currently being evacuated.

" You won't be hearing about this on the news, at least not yet. The officials within Star City are trying their best to keep this very hush-hush, as to not have a repeat of Midway City.. "

Waller released a hard sigh before crossing her arms and looking over to Flag.

" I want you to get Task Force X Ready, we ship out in two days. "

Adira quickly spoke after Waller, still a little confused on what was happening or what was going on.

" You-you mean the inmates? "

Adira watched as Flag left the room in a prompt manor, not hesitating to shoot one last pleading glance at Adira, and she couldn't help but notice that he looked guilty as hell.

" Slade Wilson is a **terrorist**.. He's been on ARGUS's most wanted for three years now, under the codename Deathstroke.. There was an incident on an island in the far pacific, where something happened to him. He left the island a different man, and has been wreaking havoc ever since.. "

Waller paused and shot a watchful eye over to the red head, who was still sitting very quietly.

" You're going to get briefed on everything that I miss on the way there. "

What-what?

" Way, where? "

" To Star City.. We need a doctor, and your scientific background will be of the most importance on this mission. "

" I don't-"

" Slade Wilson is going to blow that City off the map.. Now I know this is a little sudden, but everything you think you know, is a lie. "

Waller's expression dropped further, as her face seemed darker, more sister even.

" Steven Oswald, renowned genetic scientist and until just recently, was missing.. Then there was a terrorist attack on Star City.. Our intel tell us that Slade has found this scientist, and together they are going to reincarnate a dead monster. " Waller paused, knowing how crazy she sounded. "

" There is a man that Slade is using to channel a God.. he's going to use the meta human to destroy the city and take over the world. The people within the city are infected with some kind of neurotoxin and are acting irrationally angry. Some of them have developed unprecedented abilities, while others are just very violent. "

" Slade was a good guy, I mean he was pretty headstrong but-"

" Forget everything you once knew about Slade Wilson. That man is dead. "

Adira's arms were crossed and she was unusually quiet, not sure how to form a witty comeback against Waller, or what was going on. All of this had to be a crazy hallucination.

" You'll go with Task Force X, you're going to kill the young scientist and bring back Deathstroke, preferably alive. "

" The-the uh, the people.. in the city? "

" Unfortunately they're going to be an inadvertent loss. "

Waller spoke as though the people in the city were no longer a priority, and without much more mention on the subject, she placed the remote to the projector onto the table, and walked over to the door.

" You're going to join the team as an asset. "

Adira blinked a few times, still not quite sure what was going on or why Waller was springing this on her.

Adira had a PHD and a Masters, but that didn't mean she was ready for some.. military mission. Waller seemed to be comfortable with using people at her disposal, and this whole thing didn't sit well with her.

" You look confused Dr. Langley.. " Waller paused, clearing her throat and shooting a powerfully impatient look at Adira.

" You are going because I need one of the inmates to behave.. I know about the little meet ups with Digger Harkness, and honestly, I let it slide because I knew that eventually I could use you. "

Waller didn't hold back and Adira could feel a small rush of fear run down her spine.

 **Fuck.**

" Truth be told I just assumed you were just extra careful with him, but the intel I've received is so much more.. rewarding. Boomerang is well known to be a chaotic little dick, so having you there as collateral, well everything seemed to work out. You'll be briefed in two days, be ready. "

Adira was frozen still, her mouth was unbearably dry and she had to contain herself from shaking uncontrollably.

How the fuck did she find out..

" Oh.. ARGUS has codenamed this young lady Poison Ivy, it'd be wise not to touch her. I'm sending Flag in a few minutes to relocate her. "

Adira looked over just in time to notice the young woman flash a cheeky smile at Waller before the ARGUS Director cleared the room and left them alone.

" So she's the boss around here.. I'm assuming.. "

The woman who Waller had nicknamed as ' Poison Ivy, ' didn't seemed phased by the fact that she was currently in cuffs and restrained to a table. This appeared to just be another normal day to her.

" She's.. "

Adira had a million things to call Waller.

A manipulative cunt, a unforgiving bitch.. a murderer..

Adira lost her train of thought. She was still so concerned with Digger and what they were going to do with him, that she had almost forgotten that there was another inmate in the room.

Flag immediately entered the room with three other guards, all of them having heavy protective equipment on. They rushed towards the woman and lifted her up out of her sitting position and dragged her away and out of the room.

" Don't let her touch you, she has the ability to manipulate plants and can emit poisons through her skin. "

Adira listened to what Flag was saying, but as the door closed to the room, and it was just them, she spoke candidly with him.

" Waller wants me on the mission to look after Digger, would you happen to have anything to do with that? "

Her normally calm demeanor was beginning to fluctuate, and it didn't take her long to piece together who had voluntarily put her into the thick of this shit storm.

Flag didn't immediately answer, which in itself was its own answer.

He cleared his throat and nervously glanced behind Adira and at the projection on the wall.

" I didn't have much choice. "

" You think you're a good guy, but you're not. "

Adira quietly hissed at him before rudely brushing past him, letting her shoulder knock against his before she cleared the floor to the room and left.

She didn't speak to anyone else. The last thing she managed to remember from that day, was walking out to her car, and taking a quick nap in the driver seat, before heading home.

The two days following the briefing at the prison were incredibly hectic. Adira wasn't sure what to expect, so she put her affairs in order.

She placed some of her money into a very private account, and came to the conclusion that if she did survive this, she was going to have to **run**.

There was no way Waller would let her just leave now, not after everything she knew. Adira had to be quiet, and very discreet about everything. She spoke to one of her father's old military friends and got some information about how to go about something like this. Of course, the man who she called was very vague, but did mention " **the box.** "

The Box was something her father had mentioned numerous times. If someone was in a bad way, 'the box' was the best way to get out. It had cash, directions and other discreet supplies that could, within reason, get you out of a tight situation.

The last thing she had to deal with was calling her parents, and discreetly letting them know how she was doing, while shifting all of her current savings into their name.

It was three-thirty in the afternoon when there was a knock at her door. Rick Flag was there to escort her to ground zero in Starling City.


	19. Task Force X

**There was a bitter-indescribable feeling she had in her gut, that just would not go away.**

Adira had been in tight situations before, she'd tempted fate more than her fair share, and in each instance, no matter how severe, she kept her cool and followed through. This time wasn't like the rest, it felt different.

There was an uneasiness that had begun to bubble within her chest, and it was slowly working its way past her ribs and into her throat and stomach. A burning, fearful feeling that things were not going to be okay. Her entire life she'd trusted her gut, but right now was the time she'd ignore it. She didn't have time for second guessing or panic, she had to comply with whatever Waller wanted and make sure Digger stayed safe.

Flag came and met her before she even had a chance to leave her apartment, and within just a few minutes she was gone, and air lifted into the sky.

Rick Flag was incredibly quiet for the majority of the flight, and briefed her on what they had for the mission. Adira immediately noticed that he wouldn't meet eyes with her, but when her attention was elsewhere, she could feel his constant stare.

Something was up.

" Slade is at the center of the City, and from the sky shots that we have gathered, they show that he is heavily guarded.. "

Flag handed her a few clouded photos that showed the building that he was holding himself up in. It looked like a city hall, or maybe another large government building. Adira looked over them, noticing the many small dots around the building, and then slightly cringing as she realized those were soldiers.

" So here's the deal. Oswald has shot up some of these assholes with some kind of super serum, it makes them into incredibly strong and violent freaks. We're not entirely sure what they are capable of, because we haven't been able to get that close.. "

Flag seemed both aggravated and disappointed as he finished up his spiel, and Adira took a deep, hesitant breath. Unsure of what she was going to say, but knowing she had to say something.

" I.. "

Flag interrupted her train of thought and trailed off, **finally** bringing up his dark, wicked eyes to meet hers. He let his mouth linger open for a moment, and Adira watched as a fleeting expression of compassion crossed over his face.

" You.. Just be careful out there, I'm going to make sure nothing happens to you, Adira.. "

He trailed off again, and she could tell how much of a problem he was having with expressing how he was feeling. He shifted his eyes from her for a few moments, as the quietness within the aircraft seemed to become deafening.

" You shouldn't have to do this, and I know what a wicked woman Amanda Waller can be, jus'uh.." There was another brief pause before Flag was done talking, " Watch yourself. "

* * *

 **A million different things began to kick through her mind as they prepared to land.**

Was Digger okay.

How long was this going to take?

Would Waller let her continue to work at the Hospital?

Why was Flag on edge and acting so fucking paranoid?

She was uneasy, nervous and a little pissed off. All of this was way out of her way. She had some basic hand to hand skills, and could shoot a gun, but unlike everyone on her team, she wasn't a super-human, and didn't have any amazing skills.

Her stomach was in knots by the time they landed. Unlike the warm humidity that Louisiana seemed to keep itself at constantly, Starling City was much colder. It was nearly seven pm. by the time they reached the City it was at a frosty twenty three degrees with no snow.

Their transportation landed and Adira tried to swallow a thick ball of anxiety that just would not go away. She had a small pack with her that she had preprepared. It had some basic medical items, like bandages, and ointments. The rest of her pack was filled with more, **unsavory** things.

She had a small Smith and Wesson 38. special in her bag, along with a few rounds of ammo, along with a handful of clean syringes and a variety of vials to use. She made sure to bring a few flares and some items that would switch up almost any wound.

Flag walked ahead of her, clearing the area and immediately bringing his own people to him for a small chat, while Adira was left to walk around for a moment without supervision.

Adira immediately noticed the lack of people, and how many empty cars were left in the vacant streets. There were some cloths and debris laying around the many towering sky scrappers, signaling to how fast people had needed to evacuate. Most of the city was in darkness, but the area that they were in was moderately lit. Her eyes were drawn to the large buildings, not realizing how long it had been since she'd stepped foot in an actual city. Adira took off her hat and shoved it into her pocket before bringing her gaze back down to the ground, seeing a familiar face.

It was Digger.

The normal snarky, mischievous, and outright crazy trademark smile that Adira had learned to love, had been replaced with something much more unnerved and panicked. He didn't look excited to see her at all.

Neither one of them moved for a few moments, and it wasn't until Flag closed in behind her, that Digger began to quickly walk towards her, clearly showing how upset he was that she was in front of him.

Adira immediately noticed that Digger wasn't in his normal prison jumpsuit, and that he was wearing the same deep blue " Captain" jacket that she had admitted him in so many months ago. He had another larger coat over that and some type of hat in his hand.

She had completely forgot that they would let him wear his normal civilian attire while out on the mission, and seeing him in cloths other than the prison uniform, made her chest tighten unexpectedly. She was beginning to feel a familiar feeling of anxiousness, but it was in the most wonderful way.

For a few moments, just before Digger began to scream at Flag, she felt her body began to slightly tremble and feel incredibly light. She had wanted to see him again so badly, and all of that pent up frustration was beginning to come to the surface.

Every step closer to her, she began to notice something different. Digger's big, broad shoulders showed as he powered towards them and his lean physique was a little more visible through his cloths. Without thinking her lips parted and she completely forgot that Flag was behind her.

Her hands nervously touched and pressed the thick fabric at the bottom of her coat, and she tried to take a deep breath as his towering frame finally came to a halt just a few feet from hers.

" Flag, what'tha hell is she doing here, this wasn't part of the agreement. "

Adira's eyebrows furrowed as Digger looked at her again, but his smile was still no where to be seen.

But worst of all was that he wasn't happy to see her.

" Calm down Boomerang, you know this wasn't my choice. "

Flag angrily shot from over Adira's shoulder, and she watched as Digger quickly looked at her, showing his anger to alarm.

" Yeah, great. So your'gnna to listen to that fuckwit, and put'er in danger? "

As Digger's voice rose, Adira listened to his accent flourish to the point that she had trouble understanding him. She glanced over her shoulder to a red faced Flag, who was clearly also uncomfortable with how things had worked out.

" Listen, alright.. Waller is using her as insurance, so you don't step out of line. Plain an'Simple. "

Flag only hesitated for a moment before continuing his conversation.

" We don't have time for this, **get your shit** , get your girl.. we're out in five. "

Flag coldly shot at Digger, but made sure to share an equally unenthused look with Adira. He pushed past the both of them and approached more of his crew while Digger and Adira were left alone for a few moments.

Any time her eyes wandered over to Digger, she reminisced about all of the times she'd day dreamed about having a life outside the prison, not necessarily with Digger, but with **George Harkness.**

And she couldn't help but remember how many times she'd fantasized about this before.

Most of the time they weren't even that sexual, because the things she craved the most were the things she had always wanted, but never got. They were about seeing him outside the prison. About being with him and putting all of the awful shit they had both been through behind them.

But this, **this** wasn't what she had fantasized about.

They were both being put into a tight spot, and the growing feeling of fright in her stomach wouldn't quit. She could tell that something terrifying was going to go down, but hopefully it wouldn't be done to Digger or her.

She didn't watch Flag leave, instead her eyes were locked in front of her, directly at the man who had brightened the fire within her instead of stomping it out.

The look of disgust on Digger's face began to diminish as his attention shifted directly to her. It was then that she realized that Task Force X had been in Star city before her arrival. Digger had a small wound on his forehead and was pretty dirty, probably from whatever hellish-shitstorm Waller had decided to parade him through. She immediately dropped the bag from her shoulder and kneeled down, quickly going through the bag's contents before growing back to her feet.

The moment she was to her feet, she felt each of Digger's strong hands grip her shoulders, his face desperately pleading with her. He was beyond uncomfortable with her being in Star City, and she understood why. They were in danger, and she could get hurt, but so could Digger. And if she wasn't there to help him, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself.

" 'Dira-"

The moment he spoke her name, an infectious smile crested her lips and she stopped him before he could do or say anything else reckless.

One of her free hands reached forwards, grasping tightly onto his heavy jacket and forcefully closing the distance between them. Without hesitation she felt her body grow onto the tips of her toes, and she could feel the air leave her lungs as her chest became unbearably tight.

The entire reason she was here and Digger was being used like a puppet, was because of their history. There was no point in being shy about it any longer.

Digger's legs nearly buckled, as he didn't expect to be ambushed by the small medic, and pulled into an unexpected kiss.

His body loomed over hers for a moment, as he let his lips sit against hers for just a few moments. The few seconds after he finally broke away, Adira felt his lips press against the tip of her cheek and finally rest against her forehead. His hands shifted from her shoulders and down and around her back.

At first she was forcefully pressed against him, but the moment his hands slid around her, she let her entire body relax into him. Her chilled nose and hands immediately sought refuge against his startlingly warm body, and for a few seconds, she began to feel like this was how things were supposed to be.

" Darln' you're not gunna leave are ya? "

Digger spoke quietly and slightly annoyed, letting his chin rest against the top of her head, as his burly, unruly facial hair began to tangle against her hair. He shifted his chin again, and she could tell he was trying to look down at her.

Adira brought her hands up and around the inside of one of his coats, letting her fingers graze against the soft material of his jacket, before they held his frame tightly. She didn't want to move away from him.

" HEY! THIS ISN'T THE FUCKING HILTON MOTEL! Get your asses going, we're rollin'out! "

Adira didn't move when she heard Flag scream from across the open center square, she took a few last moments with Digger before she felt his comfortable embrace loosen. She still had one of her hands tightly grasping some gauze and antibiotic ointment, and as she pulled away from him, she flashed him a small smile.

Digger's hands eased from around her and eventually rested against her hips. For a few moments before they left, she wiped some of the fresh blood from his face and superficially treated the wound before letting her hands rest against the sides of his jaw, before they were both called away.

" Dr. Langley?!"

Adira immediately recognized a voice that was calling out to her. As both her and Digger began to approach the lamp post that Flag was rooted under, she happened to notice that there were other members of Task Force X.

The man that had said her name in such a shocked way was Chatos Santana.

" Why's she here? "

The attention of the group fell to Flag, who was 100% done with everyone's shit.

" I'm here to help of course. "

Adira shot childishly at Flag, even though he wasn't the one to ask the question. Adira warmly smiled over to Chatos, and then happened to notice that there were others.

Waylon Jones, Pamela Isley, or was it **Poison Ivy** now? She wasn't sure, but alongside Digger, there was also Floyd Lawton and slew of soldiers that all wore the same cloths as Flag.

" Listen up, Slade is holding up our target about a half mile ahead, and it'aint gonna be easy to get to him.. I need you assholes to pay attention, or we're all going to get killed. "

" Yeah, right-so we're going off again then to save this place and then for that bitch to put us back in a cell? "

Digger shot angrily from next to Adira, and she had to let her lips purse together, holding back any remnants of a smile. She shifted her eyes from Flag and Digger and over to Lawton, who was also in full attire. His face looked less swollen and he casually nodded at her the moment their eyes met.

" Like you ever had a choice Boomerang, **shut up** , do what I say and we won't have any problems. "

The two men spat at one another until Lawton stepped in, telling them both to shut their mouths so they could get this whole thing over with.

" Oh! " The entire group began to move and Adira watched as Digger was quick to verbally attack Floyd. " Eh! So, you're besties with shitstick then? You know he works for her, right? "

" Boy.. "

Floyd paused from walking and shifted his hips and shoulders so he could face Digger head on.

" THAT'S enough ladies, let's fucking get going! "

Flag screamed back at the two men, which eventually broke up their small staring match.

" I don't like him at all Adira. "

Floyd spoke in a purposely loud voice, shifting his eyes from Digger and then to her, knowing exactly what kind of crazy he was trying to stir up. It didn't take Digger but a few moments to look over protectively to Adira, and extend a wide arm around her shoulder. His face twisted slightly, as a half crooked smile passed over his lips.

" You know the ass kiss'r? "

Digger shot playfully at her, and Adira couldn't help but begin to smile.

" He's an old friend. "


	20. What comes at night

She'd visited Starling City a few times before, and each time the city was in spectacular shape. The people were a little more friendly, the streets were a little cleaner, and probably the best of all, there were always so many different types of street food vendors.

But this, **this** wasn't the city she remembered.

Starling City had been hit with a massive wave of hysteria and fear, and within twenty four hours, the city was emptied out of civilians. The only people left were the rogue misfits that Waller affectionately called Task Force X, and the enemy. Even now, it felt so strange.

The towering buildings around them blocked some of the frigid winds, but Adira and the rest of the group would still get hard pushes of freezing cold air with enough force to knock over any unsuspecting person. She had tried to stay back at the end of the mob with Digger, but Flag was intent on keeping her close to the center of the group.

" The fuck is she doing here Flag. "

She happened to catch Floyd talk quietly to their fearless leader, Flag glanced back to Adira just once before lowering his voice and mumbling something to Lawton. Whatever it was it pissed him off and he angrily scoffed at Flag before slowing his pace to match Adira's.

" Stay towards the center of our, group. "

Floyd spoke in a unsure tone as he wasn't certain what to call the posse that they had made. He cleared his throat and clutched a beautiful, rustic gun to his chest. " I don't need your nagging ass crying because someone shot you in the leg or some shit, so-you know, just.. stay towards the middle of us. "

Lawton paused while speaking a few times and judging by the way he was clearing his throat and shifting his eyes, Adira could tell that he needed to put up a **macho** exterior for the rest of the group. Without much of a fight she smiled and casually nodded, glancing behind her to see Digger wearily eye Floyd.

" Here's the deal, we have to get to Slade and stop him before he makes the doctor do some crazy, world destroying shit.. And our sources tell us that the doctor, or scientist, whatever the crazyfuck is, has shot up some civilians with some kind of toxin that is making them turn into meta humans. "

Flag didn't turn to look at anyone in the group as he spoke. He focused his attention ahead of him, along with the other soldiers that he had with him, and spoke to who ever wanted to listen.

" One of your friends I bet. "

Lawton shot a cheap shot at Adira and she couldn't help but smile at him and hold back a hard laugh.

" Fuck you.. "

Adira spat at him quietly as Floyd tried to keep a straight face and remain in character.

" You're a doctor then? "

Adira listened as an unfamiliar voice startled her. It was a few moments later that she realized it was coming from a young woman just a few feet in front of her. The woman with the mid back length, beautiful crimson hair spoke to her informally, questioning her while keeping her pace with the group.

Adira quietly nodded, which led to the woman flashing a deviant smile at her.

" Me too. "

Flag spoke up, interrupting the back and forth between the two girls, trying to keep them as quiet as possible.

" You're terrorist and a war criminal, **Ivy**.. "

Flag's comment didn't phase her. The brash use of words prompted the beautiful red head to flash a friendly grin at Adira and to shrug off the accusation. She didn't seemed offended with being labeled as a criminal, or didn't care enough to dismiss the allegation.

Adira vigorously rubbed her hands together and brought them up to her mouth., blowing her hot breath into them with hopes of regaining some of the feeling in them. The thin material of the ones she had on weren't keeping her hands warm and with the husky winds pushing past them, she knew that she'd get hypothermia if she didn't keep warm.

Adira felt a warm sensation briefly brush past her, giving her a few moments of relief. Her thin, lean physique was having a trouble with the cold. She didn't need to look up to see who it was, because within moments of approaching her, he had his hands wrapped around hers.

Digger's large, stocky hands were covered with thick gloves, but they didn't look like the normal winter attire she was used to seeing. Instead they had special sections for protection against a tool. Digger stopped her from walking for a moment, and it was coinsidental that Flag had momentarily stopped his group as well, each of them mentioning that they were close to the large area that Slade was holding himself up in, but that it was strange that they hadn't come into contact with any other creatures yet.

Adira's sense for danger was dampened as Digger pulled her attention from what was in front of them and to him.

He hastily brought up the thick gloves to his mouth, biting onto the cloth at the tip of the fingers to pull them off before forcibly taking her hands and putting them into his gloves.

Adira glanced up to him, having a few questions pop up into her head as he finished putting on the oversized accessories.

She admired him for a moment while his attention was elsewhere. Noticing how his plush lips pouted out from underneath his thick mustache and beard, while he worked to diligently warm her hands. His eyes squinted some, as he tried to focus in the low light around them.

Adira immediately noticed something that she had remembered from the prison, Digger's hands. His hands were scared up a little bit, and she put one and one together. Assuming the gloves were used to protect his hands from a weapon or tool.

" I can't'leave you alone for'nothin. " Digger playfully spat at her, securing the gloves onto her hands before rubbing them vigorously. " You'll lose'em if you don't keep'um covered Adira.."

Adira's eyebrows scrunched slightly, and she adjusted her small hands within the gloves, trying to make sure she had them securely in place so they didn't fall off.

" Why the gloves.. "

Adira spoke through a slightly trembling mouth, as the frigid temps began to finally soak through her thick winter cloths and permeate her skin. She shuffled in place a little and watched as Digger, casually pulled open the larger hanging jacket that covered his thin blue one, revealing a few large, metal boomerangs.

" Those things'll slice my hands up real nice if I'm not wearing those. "

Duh Adira... **Boomerang**? Captain Boomerang?

It wasn't just a play on his accent and country of origin, he was given the alias because of the tools he used.

 **" We're going in! "**

Flag shot at the group from behind, signaling that it was time to move out, and without any more hesitation, Digger and Adira closed in from the end of the group and met up with everyone else.

" Stay close. "

Digger's deep, accented voice sounded more raspy as he spoke to her in a lower tone. As he spoke. she noticed that he didn't look at her, as his eyes were locked onto the situation around them. Within moments of them catching up with Flag and the rest of the group, Digger reached into his coat and withdrew a beautiful metallic boomerang.

" **Fuck**! Here we go! "

Flag's voice boomed from in front of them, as he aggressively turned to alert the group, and within seconds of the notice, the sound of gunshots filled the air.

There was a wave of fear and adrenaline that swept through the group, and within seconds of the first shots being fired, Adira watched as everyone fell into their own roles. She rushed with the group, not wanting to accidentally fall behind or get lost, but not that she would have, as Digger was next to her almost every step of the way.

As they ran down a short ally and turned onto another street, they were faced with over a dozen different civilians. All of which looked completely normal.

But, looks could be deceiving.

Each of the men and women charged their group and began to attack. Adira threw the bag that was on her shoulder to the ground and tried to withdraw the gun she had brought, but wasn't quick enough. The gloves that Digger had given to her had slowed her pace, and eventually she had to take them off to reach into her bag. The poorly lit street didn't offer her much help, and the moment she managed to get the gloves off to get the gun, some one-or thing was looming over her.

Her hands trembled for a moment, as a deep, primal feeling of pure terror began to rush through her veins. She could literally feel the eyes that were locked onto her, and the hunger that resided in them.

Adira was in a position of weakness, kneeling below a potentially violent person, without a weapon, and by the looks of things, **without any help.**

The woman took a few more quiet, quick steps towards her, and even with the lack of light around them Adira could tell that the woman was covered in human blood.

" Well, don't you look cute enough to eat. "

A wayward smile crept across her lips, and Adira slowly rose to her feet, unsure of how she was going to deflect the freak that was loitering in front of her.

The mystery monster woman wasn't just covered in human blood, because by the looks of it, **she'd begun eating someone** , or had at least tried.

Her hair was drenched and greasy, while her pale complexion easily contrasted the fresh crimson blood that seemed to be running down her lips and neck. The closer the woman got, the more Adira realized that she could literally smell the blood on her, and it was making her stomach turn.

Adira looked beyond the woman, her adrenaline beginning to spike as she looked for any help, but there was no one.

The empty buildings that seemed to be closing in on her, offered no protection. Flag, Digger, not even Floyd. None of them were within arms reach, and slowly she could feel the woman closing in on her. The poor to nonexistent lighting didn't offer much help, and as her back pressed tightly against the brick building behind her, she could feel a rush of terror wash over her.

She felt helpless.

The women's eyes took on a haunting gleam, as they became more focused. She could feel the appetite that the woman had for her, and every step closer she came, the more Adira began to question her role in all of this.

" ' **Dira**! "

A familiar voice shook through her skin and to her bones, bringing a fire within her that she didn't think she had.

The woman paused after hearing the deep male voice, giving Adira just enough time to take a deep, encouraging breath.

" You better get the fuck away from me, freak. "

Adira spat angrily her, and the abrupt shift in tension threw the woman off her prowl.

" Adira? "

The woman spoke with a wide, ecstatic grin. Adira didn't need to answer, as her baffled facial expressions gave her away.

" No shit! "

The woman exclaimed before turning over her shoulder and whistling loudly to another source.

Everything about this made her nervous. The woman no longer looked like she wanted to take a bite out of her, but instead, looked more eager and driven to get her friends over to her.

" Ohh-honey have we been look'n for you. "

Her voice cackled as more creature humans leapt in to help her, but with what? She wasn't sure.

" This her? "

One of the men was pretty tall, and much like the woman, he looked like he'd just dined on human flesh. The other woman who had also answered to the whistle, was much cleaner but had something wrong with her eyes.

Mostly because she didn't have any.

The lids of her eyes were completely melted shut, and Adira was sure that she had to be a metahuman, in order to navigate the city with no sight.

" Back the fuck off. "

Adira spat in a cold, low tone while her eyes shifted to each one of the three.

" Oh, and she has a mouth on her too!? Beautiful! The boss is going to love her. "

 **Boss?!**

" Slade's been expecting you, Dr. Langley. "

Adira's heart fell into her stomach as the the three began to talk amongst themselves, bickering over who was going to get credit for her capture.

Slade Wilson was a great man, and one of the most honest men she'd ever met. She wasn't sure how this could have happened, but there had to be a mistake.

" Fuck off! "

The only sound that rang through the alleyway was Digger's voice, as a slew of unexpected chaos fell down into them.

Within seconds of the ambush, Adira watched as the male meta human's throats seemed to explode as a brief glint of light shot past her, the woman with her eyes permanently shut, had her head leveled with bullets, and soon the area in front of her became quiet.

" How do you always manage to find the trouble, huh!?"

Floyd shot at Adira in an unforgiving tone, as Digger held a bloody boomerang in one of his palms.

Both of the men were blackened with what she would later find out was blood. They rushed forwards, but the woman who looked like she had just ate a person, was quick to disappear.

Digger eyed the woman and Floyd rushed after her, leaving Adira and Digger a moment of peace.

" Darl' what the hell was that about? "

Adira was speechless for a moment, not entirely knowing what to say. Her body was trembling from the extreme burst of continuous adrenaline, and the only thing she managed to speak out was his name.

" Slade. "

" This isn't look'n good. "

One of Flag's patrol men belted some brash words at their group, and instructed them to move.

Adira and the rest of Task Force X were rushed into an abandoned hotel lobby that still had its emergency lights on. In the lobby, Digger was quick to pull her aside and address the circus show that just happened.

" You'alright luv? "

Digger's spoke in a frenzy, abruptly bringing up his hands and pushing his rough palms against her cheek and forehead, looking for any cuts or bruises. She winced slightly, dropping her bag and the other items she'd picked up.

" No-no, I'm fine. " Adira brushed off the concern and tried to force a smile.

" I can't leave you alone for a minute. "

Digger pulled her in closer for a few seconds, wrapping his arms around her and pressing his lips against her temple. She stayed extremely still and closed her eyes.

The restlessness was overbearing and she tried her best to ignore the overwhelming feeling of confusion. None of this made sense, Slade was a good man, and he would never intentionally hurt this many people. Waller had to have a part to play in this, she was sure of it.

Adira felt the fine hairs begin to rise on her arms, as the temperature of the hotel was considerably warmer than outside, and Digger's looming comforting presence was beginning to put her mind at ease.

She didn't pull away, but instead rested her forehead into his lips and took in a few more moments of their own peace and quiet.

Digger smelled like the cold air from the city, and fresh, wet iron. The blood that his coat was splattered with wasn't normal by any means. Casually she pushed away from him, and just moments later there was an urgent call for her.

" One of those fucking things **bit** Flag's neck! "

One of Flag's patrol men rushed the lobby and reached out for Adira, and from over his shoulder she watched as Flag's limp body fell to the ground as he vomited some kind of black substance onto the white, pristine hotel floor.


	21. Another Dead End

**" Hold him up, and don't let him move. "**

Adira spoke in a stern commanding voice as two of Flag's guardsmen tried to hold up the Colonel. Flag's body swayed as his knees buckled, and just by the looks of him, Adira knew he didn't have much longer.

There was a peculiar black striping that ran up and along the bite wound on his neck, and it looked as though whatever had bit him, had infected him with something. The veins leading down the wound and into his neck were beginning to turn black as well. Adira checked his pulse and noticed that it was abnormally fast, but given his state of distress, that was normal. The fluid that Flag had thrown up however, was anything but.

Adira asked everyone to stay clear of the liquid, and even with the poor lighting of the lobby, she knew what it was.

Flag was throwing up his own blood, but it was more than just that. The blood wasn't a fresh, bright red, but instead, was a sick dark maroon color. The only explanation she had, was that the infection was spreading so fast, that it was affecting the quality of his blood.

" We need to get to that hospital, **now**. "

Adira pulled off the plastic medical gloves she had used to examine Flag, and took a few moments to separate herself from him and regroup with the others.

Everyone within Task Force X huddled close to her as she tried to break down what they needed to do, and how they might be able to do it. One of Flag's guardsmen made an impromptu visit over to their group and listened as they brainstormed a way out of this.

" I say we leave tha'fucker and run. "

Digger spat at the group and Adira shot him an unenthused expression, one that immediately made his snarky smile fade. One of Flag's guards briefly voiced his opinion on the matter.

" The hospital is at least fifteen minutes away, if we can even make it there. "

Adira listened to the input and stayed silent for a moment.

" I can help slow the poison.. "

A soft voice rang throughout the group, and moments later, all eyes were on Poison Ivy. The illustrious redhead quietly chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment, as she didn't appreciate having the full attention of the group. Ivy flexed one of her hands to the group, and within only a few moments, a glistening, clear liquid began to emit from the pores in her hands.

" I can hold off the poison, I can inject some of my own serum into him, and it should help. I've done it before. "

 **Done it before?** Adira couldn't help but think to herself. What kind of crazy shit was this lady into?

The woman wasn't candid about what she was offering, and another person in their group was quick to question her.

" Serum? Like, blood? "

Chato chimed in and Ivy let a sultry smile crest over her lips as her eyes briefly met his.

" You got it, big boy. "

Another loud groan from Flag prompted the group to hurry their plans, and without even questioning it, Adira nodded to Ivy. The meta human flashed another satisfied smile at Adira before turning and rushing to Flag.

" I can buy him an extra ten minutes, maybe.. That is if he doesn't go into shock from my 'homemade' antidote. "

Ivy spoke quietly from under her breath and chuckled to herself as she approached Flag. The rest of the group worked with the remaining guardsmen that Flag had brought with him, and they figured out a Route to take that would put them right at the hospital's entrance.

" How do you know this will work? "

Floyd readjusted the long gun that was slung around his shoulder, and shot a skeptical look at Adira. She shot him an equally unsure look, not entirely confident in her own plan. The young doctor took a deep breath, preparing an answer for her team mate.

" I'm don't. "

She'd neglected to tell anyone about the fact that one of the creatures had spoke to her by name, and that Slade himself was looking for her. **Right now** , Flag's heath was more important. Besides, she could take care of herself.

* * *

" There's **no fucking way** you're leading us in there! "

The guardsmen and Floyd Lawton were bickering with one another, trying to decide who was going to lead the group. Adira tried to listen, but was nearly scared to death when her cell phone began to go off. She'd almost forgotten that she had it.

" H-Hello-hello, Dr. Langley? "

The crackled voice on the other end of the line was none other than Amanda Waller.

They spoke for only a moment, but soon she was prompted to put the ARGUS Executive on speaker phone.

There was a collective silence among the group, but not one that was caused from respect, this silence was fueled by rage. Their entire group had already had it with this little outing. They'd nearly been taken hostage and one of their own was on the verge of dying. It didn't matter what she had to say, because they didn't want to hear it.

"Wheres Flag? "

Waller's no-shit-no-nonsense voice rang through loud and clear, and it took few moments for anyone to speak up.

" One of those fucking things bit him. He's pretty much dead right now. "

Floyd chimed in, not showing too much sympathy for the wounded soldier. Adira abruptly knocked into his ribs with her elbow, nearly knocking him over.

" We were attacked, we're trying to get him to the hospital now. "

Adira chimed in quickly, as to get the conversation over as soon as possible.

" Listen to me, I can still track you from my location, if any of you get more than fifty yards from Flag, I'll personally blow your brains onto the pavement.. Now.. " Waller paused, recollecting herself. " You said you were bringing him to a hospital? "

" The hospital is right next to the building that Slade took over, so there's a good chance that whatever him and the doctor and infecting people with, they'll have an antidote. "

Maybe..

She couldn't help but be a little pessimistic. Adira spoke clearly above her phone, and Waller paused and sighed into the speaker. She was out of viable options.

" Shit.. Well, for now, Lieutenant Ross will be leading the group, do as he says, the mission hasn't ended or changed. I'll check back routinely on the hour to see your progress. "

There was no sweet goodbye, and the moment Adira ended the call, she immediately shoved her phone back into her pocket.

" You heard her, we roll out in five. "

One of Flag's men spoke up and began to move around, while the rest of Task Force X remained still within the lobby.

* * *

" Dr. Langley, you alright? I heard those freaks almost got to you too? "

Chato spoke in a low, concerned voice, and Adira immediately flashed him a toothy smile, not wanting to concern him in any of her complex, melodramatic shit. She shook her head and spoke in a low voice.

" They were just trying to hurt me, that's all. Lucky that Floyd and Digger were there to help. I've become such a nuisance to carry around, I keep getting into trouble. "

Her smile faded as the group began to stir, but she could tell that Chato had more unanswered questions to ask. She didn't want to bother him with any more of her own personal BS. She knew he could help her, but the inmates had been dragged through enough shit. If she could help it, she'd try to take care of herself.

" Right,here's the deal.. "

Digger's deep, booming voice immediately brought her attention to just behind her shoulder, and to where he was standing.

" Yo're not leavn'my sight dear. "

Adira tried not to smile as she peeked over her shoulder at him, but she couldn't help herself. Digger was placing the gloves he'd taken off earlier, back onto his hands, and readying his weapons for their trip.

Adira already had her backpack on and her gun secured in her pocket in case anything was to happen again, this time she swore that she would not let herself become a **fucking** damsel in distress. She'd help them out as much as she could.

Flag couldn't move on his own and it took two of his own men to carry him. In just the few minutes they were in the hotel lobby, she noticed his condition deteriorate further. He didn't have long, and there was no guarantee that there was even a cure.

" He's a tough son of a bitch, he'll be fine. "

Floyd noticed Adira intently looking over to Flag as they prepared to leave the lobby, and she pursed her lips together and nodded, hoping that he was right.

It was still so obscure being in a city with no people. The emergency lights in the hotel were. luxury that she soon missed, as the lights that remained on in the city were close to none. They were like sitting ducks.

She wasn't sure if it was because he knew how uncomfortable she was, or because he was being his misceveous self, but Digger had remained by her side as they traveled, as was convicted with distracting her.

" So, what do'ya say me'n you go get something to eat right after this.. Somethin'real nice. "

As soon as she looked over to him, his infectious toothy smile made her smile, and he winked at her. She immediately averted her eyes from him and began to smile.

" You mean if.. "

Adira spat at Digger playfully, but he didn't enjoy the banter. He leaned in close to her, wrapped a heavy arm around her shoulder and pulled into him.

" I don't deal with **if's** luv. "

Adira held back another smile and relished for a moment, not realizing how incredibly safe she felt around him.

* * *

The entire zig-zag to the hospital was lurking with metahumans, and Adira made sure to stay towards the center of the pack, and most importantly close to **Rick Flag**.

She checked his vitals and routinely made sure he was breathing while having to unload multiple rounds of her own gun on enemies. Each batch of creeps that they encountered seemed stronger, hungrier even, than the last.

" Don't fucking let them bite you! "

Adira screamed to her friends while hovering over Flag's nearly unconscious body. They had just gotten jumped by a large group, and she had stayed behind with Flag, holding up behind an abandoned car until the chaos slowed down. Digger had remained close to help guard her and Flag, although she was almost positive that it was only her he cared about. Digger was much quicker than Adira would ever give him credit for, and he looked incredibly satisfied anytime he got to show off his crafty skills with his boomerang in hand to hand combat.

They weren't even a block from the hospital by the time Adira did her last vital check on Flag. By all means he wasn't doing well, somehow he'd survived the zombie bite from earlier, and Ivy's serum had allowed Flag to drift between being nearly dead and almost conscious. One of Flag's men had set him down, planning to march the last stretch of pavement and get Flag the help that may or might not be there.

Digger was standing over her as she put in her last ditch effort to save Flag before they made it to the hospital. She pulled a sterile syringe from her back pack and injected flag with a **small-pick-me-up** that had a mix of platelets and stimulants. If he was going to need a last little push towards pulling through, this would be it.

Digger was standing over her and keeping watch as he used a rag to clean fresh blood off of one of his boomerangs.

" My hero. "

Adira mocked Digger from over her shoulder and he happily scoffed at her, chuckling for a moment before smiling.

" You know it darl', Prince Charming at'ya service. " He spoke in a candid tone before bringing up his arms and spinning around once for her.

" Maybe'latr you can pay me back. "

Digger winked at her as his toothy grin grew a little larger, and Adira's head tilted just slightly as she smiled up at him.

" Fucking gross. "

Flag's voice was low and cracked dryly as he spoke, but he was finally conscious. Adira couldn't help but laugh with what air was left in her lungs and cover up her face from embarrassment. She looked down to Flag, and casually sighed, happy that he was acting more like himself.

" Good morning sunshine, are you feeling better after your little nap? "

Adira playfully mocked Flag and he couldn't immediately reply. Instead he coughed and let out a big sigh. There was some commotion going on up ahead of them, and Digger quickly leaned down to her level.

" I'm going on up ahead, don'move dear, alright? "

Digger spoke in a quiet tone, placing a gentle palm on the back of her head for a moment before going up ahead.

Adira smiled and her eyes close for just a moment as Digger's warm touch brushed against her chilled neck. She took a deep breath as he walked on, and pushed herself up from her kneeled position and used her hands to push the dirt and debris off of her pants. Adira immediately brought up her chilled hands and began to blow her hot breath into them, not realizing how numbing the cold had been on her body.

" Adira.. "

Flag's voice caught her attention and she flashed him a cheeky smile, " Look who woke the dead, we're almost to the hospital.. "

She spoke through her hands, still trying to warm them and keep a watchful eye on him. Even though he was conscious, they weren't out of the woods yet. If he didn't get fluids and some kind of vaccine, he would be dead within the hour.

" ADIRA! "

Flag's strained, distended voice was nearly within ears reach, but Adira could tell something was wrong. Flag's bloodshot eyes were wide open, as he struggled to speak. He was gasping for air and Adira's mind went for the worst. He tried to move, but groaned and heaved as he did so, and Adira immediately rushed to him, knowing that the soldier in him was probably thinking he could just get up and walk.

" **Hey-hey** , **no..** calm down.. You shouldn't be moving, alright, you were almost eaten alive, we're almost to the hospital. "

Adira tucked her hair behind her ears and swallowed hard, not knowing what else she could do to relieve his pain and bring him some kind of comfort.

Flag began to grunt and struggle to breath, and Adira noticed as his eye sight began to shift from her and to her shoulder. He looked like he was about to pass out.

" You need to **-** "

Adira began to bend down to Flag when she was violently yanked backwards and stumbled to her feet.

Someone had yanked her from the ground and had their arm around her throat. Adira struggled for a few seconds before noticing a sharp knife that was placed just against her cheek.

None of tonight seemed real. Adira's body fell incredibly still as the hairs on her arms began to stand on end. She struggled to breath as the pressure continued to harshen on her neck, and the warm breath from who ever stood behind her, touched the back of her neck and made her shudder.

" What are the fuckin'odds, Adira.. "

The voice caused her eyes to widen and her throat to close, and for a few moments, she knew she was going to die. The voice made her stomach turn over onto itself, and for a few fleeting seconds she looked around for the only person her mind knew could help her; Digger.

" Runner.. "

" Oh honey, " Runner pushed his nose and lips against the back of her head and took a deep, cackling breath, " ..have I missed you. "

Adira coud feel her body begin to tremble as adrenaline shot through her like a bullet, and her eyes began to fill with tears. She bit down hard on her bottom lip, refusing to let her body cower for this sick fuck.

" **ADIRA!** "

Digger's voice caught her attention, and she tried to call out, but her body wouldn't allow it. Her vision had blurred because of the tears welling in her eyes, forcing her to blink them away and let them roll down her flushed cheeks. She felt fucking worthless.

Every time. Every **fucking** time something came up and someone was in trouble, she needed to be saved. She was sick of it, sick of being the pawn in everyone's game, and sick of being used like a bucket of bait.

" Fucking typical little cunt.. "

Runner spat from behind Adira, showing that he was clearly very angry that Digger was showing any concern for her.

" Should have killed him while I had the chance. "

She shifted and tried to get away, but his grip was too tight. The knife that was placed against her cheek began to draw a small amount of blood as it pressed into her, and the only thing Adira could think about was making sure Runner couldn't hurt anyone else.

" Put her down you piece of shit. "

Lawton raised his voice in anger.

Adira refocused her vision and noticed that Floyd was just a few feet from Digger, both looked prepared to take any measure necessary to save Adira. Floyd pulled up his long range rifle while Digger pulled a metallic boomerang from his coat, however Runner was smart enough to use most of her body as a shield, knowing that the two men wouldn't dare attack her if there was a chance she could get hurt.

" Listen to me.. "

Runner spoke softly into Adira's neck, causing her to struggle and try to wiggle away from him. However Runner's grip only tightened the more she tried to move and get away, and eventually she began to get tired from the constant pump of adrenaline and fatigue.

" I'm going to fuck your pretty little head, and make your friends watch.. "

Runner shifted his hips forwards, knocking Adira forwards with his hips as he pressed his wet lips against the bare skin on her neck, causing her to involuntarily scream and writhe away from him. She was so sick of this shit.

So incredibly sick of being the fucking damsel in distress, so fucking sick of needing other people to bail her out of dangerous situations and SO fucking sick of being treated like a helpless fuck doll. She shifted again, this time shifting enough to break Runner's hold on her and give her friends the only chance to attack him.

Runner screamed and Adira felt his grip loosen as his back arched. Digger had somehow thrown his boomerang and landed a heavy shot into Runner's back. In a matter of seconds the entire dynamic of the fight had changed.

Adira stepped forwards, briefly breaking away from Runner and looked directly forwards, keeping her eyes aligned with Digger's.

The Aussie thief bolted towards her, leaping over some rubble and Adira listened as Lawton shot from over Digger's back and at Runner.

She managed to take another full step before being stopped in her tracks just moments before Lawton's gun went off.

In one move Runner lunged forward and grabbed Adira. He reached back a bare hand and pulled the metallic boomerang from his own back, before then extending his arm forwards, slamming it down and into Adira's chest.

A hard, shrill wind tunneled its way up and through the street that they were standing on, bringing with it a small flurry of snow. Everyone stood quietly for only a few seconds before reacting.

With her second step towards Digger she felt an intense pressure in her shoulder and a sudden, bitter taste of iron filled her mouth.

Lawton's gun went off, sending the only and final blow, that put Runner to the ground on impact

Adira's body seemed to be at a loss of air, and before she knew what had happened, she turned to see Runner's dead body fall to the ground behind her.

Everything seemed to go much **slowly** from here.

Adira open her mouth to speak but couldn't, there was something in her mouth that wouldn't allow her to talk.

It took just seconds, but she realized that the thick sludge that was built up in her mouth was blood, and soon after, she began to spit up the harsh, tart liquid from her lungs.

She vigorously wiped at her mouth, trying to get the blood off of her face, but whatever she wiped away, more took its place. She could hear voices, and knew that there were people around her, but her body was beginning to go into shock, and everything was slowly coming to a dark close.

A slow, trembling hand came up to touch the boomerang that was still stuck in her body, and with a small scream, she pulled it from her flesh and let it fall to the pavement.

" Fucking christ ADIRA! "

Digger finally reached her and immediately put an open palm over her overflowing wound, while his free arm reached around her waist just in time, as she felt her vision go black and her body fall limp.


	22. The last leg of the race

" Did you find what I **left** you ? "

Adria listened as a man spoke behind her, and without saying much, she simply smiled and nodded at him. Before the two of them was the edge of a cliff that overhung against the endless ocean waves. They'd agreed to meet at quarter to eight, just before the sun set.

" And? "

His voice was ladened with anxiety and his uneasy posture was beginning to make Adira a little nervous. His thick Australian accent would make it hard for any outsider to understand him, but she heard the words perfectly.

The warm light from the setting sun continuously caught Adira's deep brown eyes and reflected the soft honey hues within them. The corners of her mouth peaked just slightly, as she became more and more sure of her decision.

" Com'on Dira. It's your choice, not his or any one else's. Please. "

They were both barely twenty one, and had their lives ahead of them. While she was still playing with the idea of becoming a doctor, he was intent on sweeping her off her feet and marrying at the first chance. His handsome strong jaw and short jet-black hair showed his youth. He didn't care that they were young, he knew what he wanted.

The man rushed forwards, leaning down to her sitting level and softly grabbing for her hands. He knelt down and brought her hands up to his mouth while keeping his eyes contently set on hers.

She felt a hard, uncomfortable lump begin to form in her throat, and she struggled to find the words she knew he needed to hear.

" You know I can't. "

It wasn't what she wanted to say, but she needed to say her peace. The wind rushed around them for brief moments at a time, bringing the sweet sting of the salty air with it. She pursed her lips together, her decision to leave beginning to falter.

He seemed discouraged for a moment, but quickly rebounded back.

" Adira. "

The way he said her name made the fine hairs on her arms rise up, but she knew that this was the right choice. She wasn't in love with him, she was in love with the idea of someone needing her.

 **It wasn't fair to him.**

" Slade.. "

She could feel his hands begin to tremble against hers as he listened to her speak, knowing the inevitable outcome. Their eyes lingered on one another for the following minutes, but it seemed so much longer than that.

Maybe some day.

That was her favorite "go-to" phrase for now. **Maybe** next year, **maybe** after she was done with school.. **Maybe** never.

The warm glow from the sun was at its fullest for the next few moments before its light began to fade against the strong horizon. Slade's eyes stayed consistent, and didn't falter from her face. Adira's gaze shifted away again, unsure of how she was going to tell him.

" I don't - "

Adira spoke took a deep breath and spoke boldly, knowing that he wasn't going to like the end result of their conversation. Just hours before this moment she'd found a note in her room accompanied by a set of plane tickets. He wanted to take her away from all of this craziness.

It had been something they'd talked about quite often in passing. They'd speak about how many kids each of them might want to have or where would be the best spot to vacation. Light, friendly talk that eventually became so much more.

And if she was honest with herself, she knew she wanted to go with him. To start a normal life, and not move again, but there was something in her gut telling her that this wasn't right.

" Shh.. " Slade interrupted her and pulled up a free hand, while letting one of his thumbs rest against her bottom lip. The pain in his face was enough, she was beginning to understand that it was finally getting to him. He was starting to realize that they weren't going to ride away into the sunset together.

He shifted his weight suddenly, placing his lips against her forehead before embracing her for a few moments. Adira hadn't expected the sudden surge of emotion, and was left frozen still and speechless.

" I love you, Adira.."

Slade's words were quiet, and if he wasn't so close to her, they would have been lost in the swirling sea wind. He lingered there against her for a moment, and Adira felt her own arms come up, and lightly embrace him.

" I'm not going to give up on you.. "

Slade pulled away and she felt his eyes burn into hers. The sheer feeling of anticipation and fear began to make her tremble, and it was just moments later that he let this lips touch hers briefly, one last time, before leaving without notice.

It would be nearly ten years before she'd see him again.

* * *

Lost in a fog of unconsciousness and pain, Adira finally felt her body momentarily pull out of what-ever kind of stupor she was in. The sensation of her teeth beginning to chatter together is what eventually pulled her over the edge, as she remembered briefly what had happened, and was very unsure with where she was.

" Shit.. Fuck.. "

Digger's voice seemed to boom over her, and almost instinctively, her eyes opened and searched for him.

The lighting in the room was terrible, but she could make out shapes and with the sound of more familiar voices, she began to feel more alert and more comfortable.

There was a searing pain in her shoulder that wouldn't quit. Her shoulder felt like it had a car parked on it. She tried to quiet herself, her jaw beginning to throb as her teeth clicked against one another, her body struggling to keep warm.

" Well we can't jus' fuckin' leave her here then! "

Digger's voice vibrated from above her, and Adira felt the pressure and warmth of someone touching her head.

She blinked again and again, trying to push the excess fluids from her eyes as she struggled to find the words she knew she needed to say.

Adira blinked a few more times again, noticing that she was staring up at a ceiling of some kind. It was then that she watched as a long coat was thrown over her trembling body, and almost immediately, her body began to feel some warm relief.

" Adira, hey'luv.. She's awake. "

Digger spoke louder this time to the group, and within seconds she had more people around her.

" Well I'll be damned, you're one hard bitch to kill Adira. "

Floyd's voice made it to her ears, and she managed to force a small, toothy smile.

" There's my sheila, " Digger immediately reacted the moment Adira smiled, " darln' don't move too much, we're gona' get ya outta here. "

" You're okay. "

Adria's voice rattled for a moment, and the bitter taste of residual blood made her wince. She knew without even thinking that she had some internal bleeding, and that if she sat up, odds were good that her wound would begin to bleed out.

" **'** course I am. It's you that I'ave to worry about. "

Adria let her eyes drift over to Digger, and in her half awake daze, had a hundred different things flash through her head.

She'd run from most of her romantic relationships, or maybe subconsciously picked the wrong men to end up with. There had been many things that she'd fucked up on in her life, but not once had Digger judged her. They'd been drawn together since the moment they had met, and she was so grateful that they had somehow found each other.

She wanted to tell him everything now. In this inappropriate, inopportune, and unbelievably bad timed moment, she wanted to tell him everything.

That she'd messed up too. That she wasn't this porcelain clean doctor that everyone seemed to embody her as, and that on some other beautiful level, she could feel a connection to him that she had trouble putting into words.

Adira's smile faded slightly as her thoughts began to consume her.

So many things in her life had seemed like mistakes, but Digger?

 **Never.**

Meeting him would **never** be a mistake, and for all the shit that they had been put through, she wanted to tell him how she felt, and solidify her feelings for him.

She closed her eyes and took a short breath, her mind beginning to drift away with the last thought she'd just had.

" ADIRA! "

Digger's voice seemed far away again, but the sound of it alone made her heart beat speed up.

" Fucking christ Adira, **wake up**! "

This same voice sounded much less welcoming than the last time it spoke, and she could feel her mind teetering on the verge of blacking out. The voice strained as it spoke, and sounded alien to her. The more the voice spoke the less she could understand what it was saying and the further she grew into a very comfortable state of senselessness.

She wasn't sure where she was, or when she'd get where she needed to be, but for now she was content with this.

" Get the fuck out of the way! "

Poison Ivy spoke loudly over the group, as Adira's entire body fell limp against the long table she was put down against. She angrily shoved Digger aside and almost immediately the fuming Aussie pushed back, not completely understanding what was happening. He was strained, and Floyd was quick to grab onto Digger's arm as Dr. Pamela Isley dove into Adira's bag and quickly grabbed a clean syringe out of the unzipped area and snorted to herself.

" I'm beginning to love her more and more, Thiopental and Zopiclone, you're a naughty girl Dr. Langley.. "

Isley chuckled to herself, taking her time, but working diligently to remove one of the epinephrine vials from the bag and inject the serum into Adira.

Ivy tore open the protective plastic and the sheathe to the syringe with her teeth before inserting the needle into the bottle and then into Adira's Arm.

She stood back and glanced over to Digger and Floyd, both whom looked feverishly at her before then looking to Adira.

" Three, two.. "

Ivy spoke with a wicked smile, discarding the used medical items onto the floor before satisfactorily crossing her arms in triumph.

However Adira's unmoving, pale body remained just that; still.

" Fuck.. "

The satisfied smile passed from her face quickly as she immediately stepped up and over Adira, placing her hands onto the young doctors neck, the meta human began top release a vibrant, green liquid from her hands and almost immediately seeped into Adira's pores.

Within seconds of being touched by Ivy, Adira's entire body flew up and off of the table, as she tumbled to the floor.

The table she was on fell over from the dramatic shift in weight and Adira nearly crushed her savior as she was raised from the dead, gasping for air and looking around with a frightened expression.

Digger was quick to rush down and forwards, scooping her up and off of the ground, but Adira's legs couldn't hold her weight, and she was nearly in shock from the amount of medicine in her body.

" Don't lift her- "

Ivy rushed to the other side of Adira, but it was too late, the gaping wound on her shoulder wasn't healed, and from the position she was in, it began to bleed again. Adira's stomach turned onto itself, and the pain from the wound began to push through the medicine, making her sight begin to fade, as her her started to spin.

Adira's body went limp, and without fighting Ivy, Digger set Adira down onto the ground of the poorly lit bar.

" Chato.. "

Adira gasped out horsely, she kept one of her clammy palms over her eyes, and tried to keep the creeping sensation of vomiting at bay.

The pyrokinetic meta human didn't waste any time kneeling down to her side, and the second she felt his presence next to her, she grabbed at him with her free hand.

Chato leaned over Adira, his eyes flashing over to both Digger and Floyd's as Adira grabbed for his hand and put it onto her shoulder.

" Listen, " Adira licked her lips and tasted the bitter, salty blood mixture that covered her lips, causing her stomach to pull up again, " You need to cauterize the wound.. Please, I-I can't.. "

Adira couldn't finish her sentence, and the more she spoke the more strained she felt.

" What-no.. No way, I'll burn - "

" Listen homeboy, she's going to bleed out, and I wish I had thought of this sooner, but you need to burn the wound close from the inside, alright? I'm guessing she wouldn't even ask if she didn't trust you. "

Adira listened to what Ivy said and dryly nodded. If there was one person she trusted to do this, it was him.

" This is going to really fucking hurt Adira.. Like, "

Floyd kneeled down behind Adira, attempting to distract her from the unbearable pain she'd soon be feeling.

" Remember that time, I think it was like-July, maybe? Well anyway, your skinny ass thought'ed be a good idea to stand up to that big bitch.. what was her name.. "

Floyd trailed off as Chato hesitantly placed his hand onto Adira's shoulder, and almost right on key, Adira answered him.

" Janice. "

Floyd immediately snorted the moment Adira said the woman's name, and it was then that Chato shot a controlled amount of searing heat against her shoulder. Adira's body involuntarily convulsed as the pain shot through her and both Digger and Floyd had to hold her down for the twenty seconds or so that it took Chato to close her wound.

Chato removed his hand as fast as he could and the clothing around the area began to smoke as the smell of burnt flesh filled the small bar room.

Rising from the dead, Adira immediately sat up, her entire body trembling from the mix of drugs, psychokinetic serums and pain. For now the wound didn't hurt that much, but she knew once the drugs wore off, she'd be in an unimaginable amount of agony.

" We have to get to the hospital. "

Adira scoffed at all of the eyes in the room, and without missing a beat Adira looked onto to Floyd.

" I won that fight. "

Adira's words were nearly in comprehendible as she shook, but Floyd had understood her fine. He managed to smile half heartedly and reached down to pick her up.

" Yeah you did. "


	23. Slade Wilson

They had been cornered like rats, and led through an intricate maze that only had one outcome; to do whatever Slade wanted.

The intercom stopped and Adria could feel the entire room looking at her. Adria didn't want to turn around, but eventually the silence within the room became too much.

" Adira, what tha'fuck is this? "

Digger's voice left a sting in her back, causing her to painfully look over to him.

" You can't expect us to go along with this Adira, guys a loose cannon. Theres no way in hell we're doing what he wants. "

Floyd chimed in from next to Adira, but everyone knew judging by her silent composure, that she'd already made up her mind. She was going to have to go see him.

" Dira'. "

Digger's voice was deep and concerned, he stared over to her intently, as if he had some kind of control in the matter.

" I'll be quick.. "

Adira's voice strained as she spoke, and her eyes only matched his for a moment before she glanced over to Floyd. The two flatly nodded at one another for a brief moment, acknowledging the tight spot they were in, and how this might be the only way.

She left the room without another word, her eyes remaining focused in front of her. She didn't dare look back and see his face. She knew that seeing the distress on his face would be enough to make her hesitate, and right now she had a job to do.

There were a thousand different scenarios running through her head. She could try to kill him, or hurt in some way so he couldn't kill everyone in the entire city, or perhaps she could even reason with him. Though knowing him, he'd be as stubborn as they come.

They'd be on her tail any minute. Regardless of anything Digger wouldn't risk her getting into **even more** trouble. Especially not with some super villain on the loose. The flickering lights that inhabited the hallways of the hospital were soon replaced with much more well lit ones, and slowly, hallway after hallway, she was finally within the Mayor's building of the city. The lights were dim but consistent, and Adria felt her frigid chilled skin begin to relax and warm the longer she remained within the halls.

There was a low echoing sound that was muffled and hard to make out, however the quicker her steps became, the more pleasant the melody became. Soon it was a recognizable ballad that she hadn't heard in years. It was played on a piano, and for a few moments, she could have sworn she was somewhere else besides the war torn city.

Adira turned a final corner, still finding it peculiar that she hadn't been met with any other soldiers or body guards along the way, but the moment she turned her last corner, there were four tall looming men waiting to meet her.

The men didn't ask any questions or eye her wearily, instead they opened the large, thick plated doors and awaited her arrival.

The moment Adria walked through the doors she was met with a handsome, familiar face.

Slade Wilson.

The large open ceiling room that Slade was holding himself up in was warm and well lit. The source of the music was a young women who sat at a piano just adjacent from a cozy fire. Slade Immediately stood up from his seated position, unable to take his gaze off of Adria.

" It's been such a long time 'Dira.. "

Slade's voice was low and rhythmic, the mere presence of him being here was enough to weaken her knees and slow her heart. She had missed her old friend more than she'd realized. It had been so many years since they'd even spoken to each other, and everything leading up to this moment had been so chaotic. She wished she could relish in this just a little more.

" Slade. "

The corners of Adira's mouth curved up just slightly as she watched him rush to his feet to greet her properly. She couldn't help but think that this man in front of her wasn't capable of such atrocities. There was no way.

Slade had a black eye patch over one of his eyes, something he'd explain himself at a later time. He still had his boyish good looks, and strong handsome features. He'd aged some, but Adria knew she had as well.

Slade paused briefly before reaching forwards and embracing her, and Adira's arms came up instinctively, as she she embraced him as well. He faintly smelled of a lingering cologne and fire, and she relished the few moments they were together.

It reminded her of a simpler time when she had her entire future ahead of her.

Adria put up her hands and gently pushed away from him, but stopped. Slade's arms didn't budge, and for a moment she felt a familiar feeling of intense fear run up her spine. She tried to push away, and again, his large, firm arms held tight against her petite body..

" Darl' I've missed you so much.. "

Adira's eyes widened as she began to squirm from his embrace, only to be held tighter.

" I was ship wrecked for over three years on an island in the eastern Pacific Ocean, and while I was there I learned a few things, " Slade held her body still with one of his arms, and the more Adria tried to move, the more intense the pain grew from the old wound in her shoulder.

" That once you find something you care about, you never'let it' go. "

Slade plunged something into Adira's back, and almost instantaneously, she felt a chilling sensation begin to run through her body.

Adira's widened eyes looked up and at Slade, still unbelieving that he was capable of this type of betrayal. There was a scream from across the room, as the doors to the lounge had been opened for Rick Flag and the rest of the group she'd been traveling with.

Two of the men held back Digger, and Adria's head immediately twisted, her gaze shifting from Slade and to Digger. Slade pulled the empty syringe from Adira's back, and let it casually hit the ground.

Again her head began to spin and for a few fleeting moments, her limbs went limp. Slade's strong arm held steady against her lower back, and he seemed to catch her effortlessly. He turned to see the commotion, and noticed the other large Australian man in the room. Slade's confident gaze matched with Digger's furious rage, and he smiled. Knowing that no one in the group could touch him.

With a sick snicker and a small wave of his hand, Slade pulled Adira's wilting body up against him and spoke, " Look sweetheart, the shows about the start. "

Adira's body became unbelievably hot, and then intensely cold. There were a few moments where she thought she was going to vomit, but those moments were outweighed by a very unnatural pain the seemed to be growing within her. When she finally came to, she was in a large room with a dead man.

Steven Oswald, the scientist that Adria had faintly remembered seeing on the slide show from the prison, was sitting in a wooden chair, confined with ropes and metal cuffs. His skin was a sickly white color and his lips and eyes had shades of blue within them. There was an unknown dark fluid leaking from his nose, eyes and lips. He couldn't of been more than three feet from her.

The room that they were occupying was small, maybe a linen closet of some kind, and very poorly lit. Adria listened and could hear someone approaching the room, but being tied up herself, she had no time to react.

The door to the room swung open and revealed a stranger, but that didn't keep the man from reaching down and grabbing at her roughly, before pulling her from the room and the chair she was attached too.

The stranger hastily threw her and the chair she was strapped too down a long hallway, and luckily her chair skidded with the halt instead of falling over. Still dizzy and nauseous, Adira felt incredibly weak.

She was entirely over being the damsel in distress.

The man grabbed at her restraints and easily tore them from her and the chair before jerking her arm and pulling her back into the main room that she was just in minutes before.

 **The mood of the room had changed completely.**

The warm light that had inhabited the room just moments earlier, had left, all that remained were fragments of light left from the fire, and the ever flickering florescent bulbs from above. Slade had more man power than before, and each member of her team was guarded by one of his men, and then some.

Adira coulnt't stand on her own, not for the moment. The day that she'd been through had been hard on her body, but not so much that she couldn't move. Her lack of mobility had to of been from the injection, she was sure.

 **Was it a fucking anesthetic?**

Some type of **Hallucinogenic** drug?

Whatever the circumstances, she wasn't going to play these fucking mind games, not again.

That asshole Runner had come back to bite her in the ass, and as much as it pained her, **she knew that she needed to take care of Slade**. He, unlike Runner, was much more capable and malevolent.

" She's holding up well. "

The man that was roughly holding her spoke loudly to Slade, and Adria tried her best to listen. Her vision had begun to swirl into a slow wave, and every few seconds she felt as though she was going to fall.

" What the fuck did you do to me.. "

Adira spat out angrily, her words beginning to slur together as she struggled to control her basic cognitive functions. Moments after she spoke, the entire room went silent.

" Adira! "

Floyd's voice echoed throughout the empty room and, Adria felt the side of her mouth tug for just a moment, she was glad he wasn't dead. There were a few more murmurs after that, but they all fell quiet as Slade cleared the room to meet his new pet.

" You are one of the most extraordinary people I have ever met,'Dira.. " Slade's voice paused, as his footsteps stopped just in front of her. She could vaguely see the outline of his body, and it took everything he had to not lunge forwards and throat punch him.

" The shot would have killed almost anyone else, but you-you're strong, just like your father. "

" The virus.. "

Adria spoke weakly again, this time more of her weight resting against whom ever was holding her body up. She swayed slightly, realizing what exactly she'd been injected with.

" That Doctor was a strange one, going on and on about weedin' out the weak and making his own master race or whatever-but what he didn't realize, was that the virus would manifest in him, and from his own blood we could purify others.. just like we did with you. "

Adria body began to shake, as a very sick real reality began to rise into her consciousness. The serum that she'd been injected with, was made from the dead scientist in the other room. The same one she had just faced moments before. His blood had been injected into her in order for Slade to make her into something.

Adira's body practically collapsed, as she vomited what little liquid she did have in her body, out and onto the floor. The man who had been supporting her earlier was now holding all of her weight, as Adira's head began to spin again, and within moments of vomiting, she began to feel a shrill cold creep up within her body.

" Fuckin'Christ, she's gunna die, " Digger's loud voice shook through the room as he struggled to get away from the men guarding around him. " Adria! "

Her breathing was becoming more and more shallow now, making it that much harder to think or function, but she could still hear his voice. Her face scrunched some as she tried to pull any ounce of life from her soul, and use it to pull through the fucked up mess.

Her head tiled up just slightly, her sight aligning with his for just a few moments as she managed to get a good look at him.

His head was split open and nearly half of his face was a bright, fresh crimson red.

What an asshole.

Adira's face unapologetically smiled as she exhaled a few deep, wet coughs.

She was in trouble and he had to go out and get himself beaten up.

 **Who was going to take care of him if she died?** She didn't have a choice, whatever the fuck Slade had put into her, she'd have to fight it, no matter the cost.

Adira's weak knees straightened out some as she tried to get a grip on the Earth below her, and without thinking she used the man next to her as leverage, allowing her body to stand up at least somewhat normal.

" Truly amazing. "

Slade clapped his hands once, clearly still impressed with how she was still alive, however his attention was immediately drawn over to Digger, and with a small snicker, he looked back over to Adria.

" Is this the replacement for me then? What a mistake you are.. "

Slade snickered at Digger for a moment, prompting him to again try to get away, but the guards were more violent with him this time, as one of them shoved the butt of their gun into his head, quieting him down.

Adira's angry, consistent gaze was pointed directly at Slade, and she took a deep breath, knowing her next few words could be her last.

" All of this was a mistake.. " Adria spit at the ground below her, not realizing the corner of her mouth was beginning to leak a thin, black liquid. Her breathing laboring slightly, she continued. Her voice cracked as she spoke, while her body continued to weaken.

" Coming here, seeing you, and this.. fucking city.. Was all a mistake. " Her hardened eyes looked through Slade's tough exterior, mocking him.

Adira's gaze shifted over to Digger. Her eyes softened slightly, but she remained firm, fully believing everything she was about to say, she made sure to look Digger right in the eye as she spoke.

" But you, **you were never a mistake.** "

Adira spoke loudly, and with such confidence that it caused Slade to physically step back, as though the words she spoke physically hurt him in some way.

He gained his composure just moments after realizing that all eyes within the room were on him. He ran a free, aggravated hand through his hair, before clearing across the room and walking towards her.

" Always the optimist.. Adria. " Slade paused, growing just a little closer to her before finishing what he was saying.

" But soon, they'll all be dead, and you.. " Slade paused, casually taking a playful handful of her hair before placing a soft kiss onto her forehead.

" You'll come around. "

Slade's once welcomed touch, now felt like venom.

Adira jerked her head from his hands, while her body struggled to remain conscious. Her sight was completely gone now, and all she could take in from around her were the sounds.

" Don't you fucking touch her mate. "

Digger angrily spat at Slade, the fresh blood that had been running down his face made him look deathly serious, **but** still the villainous smile refused to leave Slade's face.

" Aren't you a whole'lotta mouth for someone without a spine. "

Digger pulled up his arms and tried to lunge forwards, but it wasn't much use, Slade had men that were more than capable with dealing with him. There was another voice that spoke out now, this one drawing Slade's attention way from Digger.

" You're'gunna kill her, you lunatic.! "

Rick Flag's low voice boomed throughout the poorly lit room, and like the turn of a switch, Slade was quick to react.

" That is just not true, you'see you were going to die, and I did ya the favor of throwing that antidote yo're way, but Dira' over here.. She's a lot stronger than you. " He paused, looking over his shoulder and over to her withering body.

" She'll pull through.. and when she does, this city will be our new home, and all of you.. "

Slade's face gained a handsome twist as he took a deep look at everyone else in the group.

" You'll all be used as furniture. "

As Adria deteriorated on the floor of the room, Slade began to dress into his formal fighting gear, as though everything was going according to plan, and Adria wasn't about to die, cold and alone on the hard tiled floor.

 **" Her pulse is almost completely gone. "**

One of Slade's men monitored Adira's body, which was lying on the floor of the room. Eventually, Adira couldn't hold her own body weight up anymore, and had fallen to the ground.

" She's close. "

Adira's eyesight faded in and out, and it was becoming harder to breathe. She couldn't focus on anything except **him.** She wasn't sure if it was her imagination putting sounds and images into her mind, or if they were real. Either way, I didn't matter. The pain was beginning to finally go away, and she was feeling more at rest.

Digger's face flew into her mind and would leave it just as quickly. In her last few moments, he was the only important person to her.

Adira's body was sprawled outwards unnaturally, as the last time she'd fallen, no one had bothered to try and pick her up. Every few moments her chest would rise and fall with more time in between, until finally, her breathing finally stopped.

He was there until the end.

She was at least happy that Digger was with her when it happened.

The only thing she truly mourned in her last moments of life, were the **What Ifs**.

 **What If** they had made it out.

 **What if** they had gotten married or had kids.

 **What if** they ran away **together**.

Her last few breaths were uncomfortable for everyone in the room, as her body gasped for air, loudly seeking any refuge to keep itself alive, but it was no use. Her blood was too far infected and too many of her basic bodily functions refused to go on.

Adira's entire body relaxed onto the cold floor of the room, finally at rest, finally at peace with her terrible past and her not so bright future.


	24. The Lazarus Effect

There was a memory that flooded her subconscious in the spare moments leading up to her death. It was just past seven o'clock, and in that memory, it had been a particularly hot day.

Adria remembered because she had to take off her lab coat, and was in flats that day instead of heels. Her short, dark hair was kinked just slightly from the high humidity, and she was having a hard time with the drowsiness that was brought on by the warm air.

Flag hadn't been at the jail for that long, but Adria had warmed up to him. Behind that tough exterior of a soldier, was an even tougher prick who enjoyed nothing. He didn't like talking about his personal life, he didn't enjoy going to lunch or sitting for coffee. **He was incredibly uptight** , but the more she learned about him the more she understood. Rick Flag was Amanda Waller's number two man. He did a majority of her dirty work and had to deal with the brunt of the violence and death.

She'd be a paranoid little cunt too if she had to be in contact with Waller 24/7.

But that didn't mean he didn't occasionally open up.

Sometimes he'd mention that **his girl** "loved " those kinds of sweets too, once in a while when Adira would bring in a snack.

He'd passively admit that he liked certain smells, or he'd sometimes notice that she'd worn less make up one day.

She'd catch brief moments where he'd look out of one of the few windows that the prison had, and just zone out. He'd smile sometimes when he wasn't distracted with work or Waller.

That was the Flag that she liked.

This one though, **not so much.**

Flag had been watching her like a hawk, and he'd rarely leave her alone for more than moments at a time. She had been trying to visit Digger, even if it was just for a few minutes, but Flag was persistent with following her everywhere.

He'd let her take Digger to the outside yard for a while. Digger was chained up to a metal table, and there were at least fifteen guards scattered far along the outside of the fence, but at least she'd got to see him smile for a while. Taking a few breaths of fresh air and getting some vitamin D was important, she knew that even though this was brief, that it would be beneficial to him.

Keeping a big man like Digger in a tiny room with no sunlight and no food wasn't ideal, so small trips like this would eventually add up.

They'd only got to speak a few moments before Adria was asked to come back inside. Both her and Digger were escorted inside where Flag was speaking to another Prison Officer about a large riot that had happened at the other end of the prison. The officer that she'd been walking with was suddenly called away as the walkie on his hip began to go off.

" Hold on a minute ma'am. "

The officer that had escorted both her and Digger inside, left the two of them at the end of a long stretch of hallway.

The sun had gotten to her, even it had only been a few minutes. She feverishly waved a free hand just a few inches from her face in an attempt to cool herself.

Finally she'd given up, letting her arm fall down to her side and reminiscing about how cold it used to be upstate at this time.

" What's the commotion? "

Digger's voice shot quietly from behind her, reminding her that it was just the two of them standing in the hall alone. Flag was at the far end, keeping a watchful eye on her and Digger, while maintaining his attention with the other guards.

" Another fight I think.. "

She spoke quietly, her eyes feeling heavy from the heat. The concrete prison that they were in was much cooler than outside, but her body refused to cool down. She'd thought about going into her office and lying down, but her mind was going too fast for her to rest.

Digger's large frame hovered behind her, both of them interested in what was going on with the other half of the prison.. or so she thought

Her shoulders and back tightened as the hairs on her arms and neck began to rise, and with it came a small rush of adrenaline.

Adria felt Digger's fingers press into the small of her back, and almost instantly she froze up.

She could hear the metal of his cuffs, 'clink' quietly from behind her, as he inched closer to her. His hands eventually finding her bare back and quietly resting against her skin.

Her head remained forwards as she felt her body effortlessly relax into him.

She could feel the incredible amount of heat his body was putting off and could faintly smell him the closer he came to her.

Her chest became uncomfortably tight as Digger brought his looming body closer to hers, and took a bold move.

Adira's head tilted slightly as the sensation of Digger's voice hit the back of her bare neck. His warm breath touched her damp skin, as the gruff on his face lightly gazed her neck.

Her eyes closed briefly.

She felt her shoulders tremble for a moment, as his full lips finally touched her bare collarbone.

He pulled away for just a moment, his lips still lingering against her skin.

" Darln' are you gonna' run away with me ? "

A small smile crept across Adira's lips, as she hesitated to answer. The reality around them beginning to fade for a moment, as she forgot they were in a prison, and that they could never really be together inside here.

There was more commotion down the hall, leading the other guards attention further down, while Flag knew better. Adira's eyes fluttered open to see Flag staring her down with a hard, unamused glare.

Without hesitation she pushed her body from Digger's and wildly turned around. Realizing they could have gotten into some real trouble.

She pulled her shirt down and adjusted herself, not realizing that the back of her shirt was nearly pulled halfway up her back. She shot Digger an annoyed look, but didn't realize she was smiling.

He fed off of her anxiety and hastily went to grab at her again, playfully reaching out the best he could in between his confines. The smile on Digger's face was infectious and broad. He looked entirely too pleased with himself.

She mildly slapped at him, both of them forgetting about the small mob of people that were luckily, too distracted with other inmates.

Flag set the other officers to deal with the riot, and angrily paced down the hall towards Adira and Digger. His shoulders were tight against his neck, and he looked like at any moment, he could lash out.

" You never answered my question luv'. "

Digger's deep voice became quieter the closer Flag grew, and Adira's entire body language changed the moment he reiterated himself.

Her shoulders relaxed and she let out a small, comfortable sigh, unable to keep the smile from her face.

" Of course. "

Her voice wasn't even above a whisper, but even so he understood her completely. Her content, deep brown eyes met with is wild ones, and for a moment, she watched as his face softened into something genuine.

They only had a few more moments together before Flag hastily interrupted them.

Another guard interrupted Flag's rampage, bustling from around the corner, and apologizing for being late.

He aggressively grabbed at Digger's cuffs, pulling him away from Adria and Flag and back towards his cell.

She stood still, the light beginning to leave her face the further he was pulled from her. She watched as he looked over his shoulder one last time before being pulled around a corner and back to his cell.

" You know how fucking dangerous he is right, Adria? These people are criminals, and they will kill you. "

Adira sighed, her sight staying with Digger until he was pulled from her line of sight..

" That's what I have friends like you for to protect me. "

She didn't feed into his advances, but instead shot a fun snap back at him.

The corners of Flag's mouth tugged up for only a moment. He hesitantly smiled for just the blink of an eye until he realized what he was doing.

" Girl, you need to watch yourself. "

Flag reiterated again, and Adria didn't bother answering him. She stayed quiet, eventually following him down the hall of the prison.

* * *

There was nothing but utter chaos in the room where Adira's body lay dead.

It had been nearly ten minutes, and after numerous people checking for a pulse, Slade had given in and decided to leave and lead his new army without her.

Every member of Task Force X had been brought to there knees, and had been paraded into the center of the room. Each was to be killed in front of the others, one at a time. Slade had been very clear that either they take a dose of the virus or die, and to his surprise, everyone vouched for death over the poison.

Slade walked in front of the group, and effortlessly drew a sword from the sheath on his back before parading in front of them.

" There's no one coming to save you now, you have one last chance.. "

Slade spoke through the mask that concealed his face, seeming more and more on edge with each passing moment. He paced around, looking at each face individually before finally settling on the one person Adria would miss the most.

Digger Harkness.

" You, you're first.. "


	25. The Let Go

Digger's eyes matched with Slade's for just a moment, the Aussie thief was quick to spit at Slade's feet, his gaze stretching over to where Adria was.

There was another long pause now, as Slade decided to draw this particular death out. He ordered his men to bring Digger closer to Adira's body, and without hesitation Digger's body was rough housed and dragged across the floor, kicking and shoving.

One of the men threw a hard kick into Digger's ribs, causing him to stop writhing and to remain still. Slade had Digger placed on his knees, his head bent over Adira's dead body.

He didn't want to see her like this. Digger kept his eyes closed for a few moments, as Slade took off his mask, preparing to relish in the moment. Digger's pained eyes finally opened to see Adira's lifeless eyes looking up at him, through him, even.

His breathing paused and his jaw clenched, as he tried his best to look away but couldn't.

" This is almost poetic, " Slade spoke with a cunning smile.

Slade lined up his long edge blade with the back of Digger's bare neck, and pulled up and back.

Digger closed his eyes, and the calls began from the group, calling Slade a coward and a freak, threatening to kill him when or if they get the chance, buying Digger just a few more moments of life.

Adira's eyes fluttered for a moment then relaxed. Almost on cue, her fingers began to twitch involuntarily as well, before stopping.

Finally her blood shot eyes opened again, as her lungs began to scream and burn, begging for any ounce of oxygen they could get. Everything flooded back to her at once. Her mind ached as she remembered meeting Slade again, getting poisoned and..

" Digger. "

Adria managed to gasp out as her chest heaved up and down.

Digger's closed eyes opened and widened in disbelief as a toothy, otherworldly grin spread across his lips, " Adria.. "

He seemed unconvinced, as did Slade, who was hovering just above them. It only took Adria a moment to realize what was happening, as Digger was on his knees, and his hands were restrained in some kind of cuffs. She only needed to take a few more breaths before she went into motion.

Something was different, she felt different. Maybe it was **what the fuck ever** Slade had done to her, maybe it was adrenaline, she wasn't sure, and right now, **it didn't** **matter**. Laying flat on her back she reached behind her and against Digger's leg, where one of his weapons was fastened against his body. Without letting Slade get a word in, she grabbed the silver, metallic boomerang and threw it up and has hard a she could.

One of the metal ends of the boomerang impaled Slade immediately, sending him reeling backwards and toppling over. The group behind her took this rare moment of momentum and went with it, everyone turned on the ghoul that was guarding them and within the large room a riot broke out.

Adira pushed herself to a sitting position, her mind going a mile a minute a she began to realize how **incredible** she felt. Digger leaned in forwards, clumsily letting his retrained hands touch her for a moment, and boorishly letting his lips touch the top of her head.

" 'thought you were dead 'luv.. "

Digger's voice shook some as he spoke, and she could hear the pain in his voice. Adria turned briefly, her lips pursing together as she was a loss for words. She pushed herself onto all fours and sporadically bent forwards, kissing him.

Her lips were still a little cold, and the contrast against Digger's warmth made a shiver run down her spine. She pulled away and swallowed hard, putting both of her hands down and onto his metal cuffs.

" What're you- "

Digger's soft voice was cut off as Adria gripped the metal restraints and effortlessly pulled them apart and off of his body. Digger immediately began to run his hands over his free wrists, staring on at her in disbelief.

" Holy shit.. "

Digger mouthed loudly, as Adria casually threw the metal retains to the floor. As much as she wanted to catch up with Digger, she knew what needed to be done. Slade needed to die.

Adria pushed herself up, watching Slade slowly gain to his feet as well. Two of his men charged her, but the light weight doctor easily handled them. Something had happened, she wasn't sure why or how, but whatever Slade had injected into her had changed her body. She felt, unbelievably strong.

The first man she struggled with, but threw him clear across the room, which got the attention of the others, Adria easily threw the next smaller one. By the time she reached him, Slade had pulled the boomerang from his torso and was readying himself for a fight.

" You.. " Slade's ominous tone shifted to satisfied, as he began to smile, " are magnificent.. "

A look of disgust and complete rage over took Adira's face, and she quickly cleared the distance between them, finally ready to end the life of the man she once cared for.

He didn't deserve this. The man she once loved, once admired, he'd be sickened to see the monster he'd become. She had to do it. Not just because of all of this fucking insane shit she'd been put through, or because he'd threatened Digger's life.

He wasn't himself, not any more. She couldn't, **no**.. she refused to let this fucking freak tarnish all of the amazing things Slade had done. She paused, just a few paces from him, her body feeling stronger, faster, and more impatient than before.

If she was going to do this, she needed to do it now.

" Adira! "

Flag's familiar voice echoed across the room, as the young doctor turned just in time to catch a glock 42' pistol. Her reflexes were instantaneous, she snatched the gun, mid air, and pointed it at the shell of a man in front of her.

The room grew quieter, as it seemed the tide had shifted in a matter of moments. Slade was quick to boast about how many men he had, and that she didn't stand a chance without him. A wild look overtook him as he realized he'd been backed into a corner with no one to help. All of Adira's members had overthrown their restraints and had taken control over the room.

" What're you goin'to do now darling? You gonna, rally with your friends and go back to that bore job you had before? Theres no going back now.. You're too far gone. "

Slade's words didn't set well with her. Regardless if it was a ploy on words or a distraction, she was beginning to understand he was right. She could feel it within her, she wasn't the same feeble doctor as before. She was much, much stronger. She could feel an electricity within her body, it was exhilarating. Slade began to speak again, pointing at her directly, trying to convert his feelings.

" You'didn't mutate outside love, you did inside.. You think they'll let a monster' like you run around without a leash? Don't count on it.. "

Monster.

She could figure out everything else later, but she knew that if Waller did find out what happened to her, there was no way she'd let Adira leave this god forsaken city alive.

" Do you remember what you said to me, at the pier? "

Adira's voice was calloused and cold, her body was still recovering from being dead for so long, and she felt so far beyond dehydrated. Her skin was still a pale shade of white, which contrasted against her bloodshot eyes, making her appear otherworldly.

The slick smile on Slade's face diminished, as Adria asked him a question he didn't want to answer. He took a deep breath, before picking up his sword up and off of the floor, preparing for a fight.

She readjusted the gun in her hands, her fingers eagerly shifting as her body began to tremble and shake.

" You think you can live some kind of normal life now, with these people? Adria, these folks don't care about you, not like I do.. "

No more pain. No more suffering. This needed to be over.

" How could you do this.. "

Adira's hands tremble further now, her sight fading slightly. She wasn't sure what was happening to her, but she needed to end this soon.

" We're from the same tree, you and me.. "

Slade spoke effortlessly, as though he meant every word. He took another step forwards now, getting so close as to let his chest rest against the barrel of her gun. She took his features in, her bottom lip quivering with weakness for only a moment. He had discarded his mask a while ago, and his dark, stern features looked upon her without any judgment or callous.

" Adria **KILL** HIM! "

Flag's voice shook from behind her, setting a fire from, under her as she realized she was beginning to get sentimental again .

" I'm sorry. "

Adira's voice cracked a she spoke. Her mouth gaped just slightly, as she felt her jaw clench.

She wasn't sorry she was killing him, that would be the easy part.

She was sorry that he'd let himself get this far gone.

She was sorry that she hadn't stayed in contact with him or cared enough to call.

The amount of pain he must have felt to make him do this had to be **insurmountable**.

and  for that she was sorry, sorry that she couldn't help shelter some of that hate, easing his own load and maybe saving him in the process.

She fired her gun at him, just as he began to speak, but amid the loud recoil of the gun, two arrows flew from above them and plunged into Slade's chest and throat, killing him instantly.

The silence in the room was only momentary as more arrows plunged into more people in the room. Killing every single extra man Slade had, leaving just Task Force X alive.

Everyone's attention was immediately up in the tall ceilings of the room, where a man in a forest green hood was relaxing his bow. He dropped to the floor effortlessly, making sure to quickly get to Slade and verify he was dead. He brought up a free hand to his ear and spoke clearly.

 **" Target's neutralized. "**

The man's voice sounded warped as he spoke into some kind of voice altering device. He shot Adria a stern look before placing his bow back onto his back.

" Who the fuck is this? "

Floyd's voice brought a smile to Adira's face as she looked from her old friend and to the new vigilante. The man pulled down his hood for just a moment, and took off a small, black device from around the front base of his throat. He had a thin black mask around his eyes, and short, blond hair.

" Amanda Waller had me stop in to make sure the job got done.. "

The words seemed to angrily curl from his mouth, as the mere mention of Waller's name was enough to upset him. The man's identity was still a mystery, but Flag was quick to chime in.

" **The** Fucking Green Arrow.. "

There was a small pause before a brief smirk graced the strangers face. The hooded man nodded in Flag's direction before immediately readying himself to leave **.**

" Flag. "

Both men casually nodded at one another before the hooded man turned to face Adria once last time, pulling up his hood and clearing from the room.

" And a word for the wise, keep clear of Amanda Waller.. "

Adira nodded to the man's words, an extreme look of disbelief and question still on her face. Everything had happened so fast. The man in the hood was gone before anyone could get another word in edge wise, leaving Adria and everyone else in a room full of bodies.

" Flag.. "

Adria spoke clearly across the room, not noticing as Digger wasted no time to approach and walk up behind her.

" We're good.. There should be reinforcements outside clearing up the mess.." He paused, nodding back at her. ".. we did it. "

He licked his lips nervously as he spoke, looking around the room. Adira's attention was brought behind her as Digger put one of his large palms onto her shoulder, affectionately squeezing at her chilled skin for a moment.

" You, you need to get out of here.. "

Flag seemed to chime out of no where, taking the room's attention with surprise. He looked freckly at Adria, his face showing a look of distress that she'd never seen before. He looked guilty as hell.

Right on cue, a ominous figure entered the room.

Amanda Waller effortlessly stepped over a few dead bodies that were in her way, as she dusted off her shoulders and squinted, looking throughout the room.

" Well done everyone, this was one big fucking mess.. "

Flag's body language didn't change, instead of looking relieved that they'd somehow survived this shit hole, he looked incredibly guilty. His eyes matched Adira's for a moment, and for the first time since she'd woken up, she felt a deep, sickening feeling of fear wash over her.

" RUN. "

Adria watched as Flag voicelessly mouthed one phrase of words at her, prompting her to look cautiously at the A.R.G.U.S. Director.

Waller looked at Adria, and then at Rick Flag.

" Do it. "

She nodded off to Adria without much effort, as though she was asking something minimal or uneventful. However the answer Waller got wasn't the one she expected.

" No. "

Flag spoke firmly, going so far as to shake his head in disobedience.

" You'll do it, or you're little girlfriend gets put into a maximum security ward, just like the rest of these freaks! "

A look of pure a rage washed over Flag's face, and it was so surprising that even Waller had to take a moment.

 **She wasn't going to make it out of here.**

Adira's face dimmed slightly, and she leaned back into Digger's body. Slade had warned her, and Flag had just now. There was no way she was going to leave here alive, not with what had happened to her.

" I'll kill her and him, is that what you want, more dead bodies on your conscience?! "

Waller pointed an angry hand at both Adria and Digger, not willing to let any of this get out of her control.

" We just saved the fucking city.. again, and this is how we're treated!? "

Lawton was quick to try and deescalate the situation, refusing to let one of his friends die for something so senseless.

" Ungrateful Bitch, "

Lawton huffed at Waller, his face beginning to build with rage, as he pointed over to Adira.

" We wouldn't have made it this far without her, no WAY, any of us is lettin' you kill her for no good reason. "

She was loosing control of the room, and like any panicked animal, she lashed out. Waller pulled a small cellular device from her pocket. The screen had each of the group's faces, set aside Flag's or Adira's. And at any moment she could kill any of them, by detonating the bomb in their neck.

" I think you'll do as you're told, you are A.R.G.U.S property.. Now, Flag.."

Waller looked over to Flag, preparing to drag him through hell for disobeying her orders in front of everyone.

Adira glanced over her shoulder at Digger, before readjusting her line of sight back at the group, particularly at Floyd.

The angry gunsman looked back at her confused, but a small reassuring smile crossed her face. One of acceptance and peace.

His eyes squinted for a moment, unsure what was going on until it was too late. He pulled up his own gun to stop whatever was about to happen but its was too late.

" No way we're letting you hurt her. "

Chatos chimed in from behind Flag, bringing his position from the back of the group, and to the front as he protested.

Waller could feel the mood of the room shift, and without any more hesitation, she pulled a free hand up to her ear piece. Within seconds the room was flooded with A.R.G.U.S agents.

" Never send a man, to do a woman's job. "

Waller effortlessly snapped at Flag and the others, pulling her own gun from a holster on her hip, and using the brief distraction to her advantage.

Adria turned her back to the group, and used the last few moments she had alive, with Digger.

She gripped the Aussie's coat, and aggressively pulled him down to her level, before placing a soft passionate kiss onto his lips. Digger was surprised, but didn't shy away. He fall effortlessly into her whims until she pulled from him.

Her lips parted from his just in time, as she managed to speak her last words.

" Digger I-.. I **love** you. "

Her eyes were wild and filled with fear as she looked up and into his, her entire body was trembling as her feelings began to get the best of her. Everything they had gone through had built them up to this point, and if she was going to die, at least he'd be the last thing she'd see in this fucked up place.

Adria held onto his coat with white knuckles, and her body jerked forwards and into him as two hard shots fired one after the other, both entering her back and chest, covering Digger in her blood.

The shots went off, and at first she felt fine, but as shock set in, she looked down to see an open, gaping wound on her chest, and her own blood covering Digger's face and chest.

The last thing she'd see would be him, but it wasn't what she had wanted. Not like this.

Digger's blood sprayed face was covered in terror. His eyes were wide with disbelief or anger, she wasn't sure, and Adria couldn't help but feel a sweeping wave of guilt wash over her, as she realized she was going to die. She hoped that he wouldn't blame himself. She hoped that he'd be happy some day.

Everything went very quiet now, as her body relaxed and fell back.

She wanted to be free of hate or anger, but those feelings welled up within her as she felt a selfishness she didn't know she had. She wanted more time with him and she was so angry, so bitter, that it had been taken from her.

Blood pooled in her mouth as she tried to breath, but eventually her strength was gone. She couldn't fight much longer.

Her mind was cluttered and frantic. She clung to any life she had in her, watching as Digger struggled above her. Her angry breaths for air began to shallow out and slow down to an uncomfortable silence, as within just a few moments of getting shot, she quietly died in Digger's arms.

" Clean up this fucking mess. "

Waller angrily spat at Flag and quickly exited the room before anything else unplanned could happen. Leaving Adira's wilted body to be discarded like all the others.

No one had anything to say, because nothing they would say could fix what just happened.

Digger's arms greedily cradled Adira's body, as he chanted the same few phrases over and over. He tried to adjust his arms to catch the brunt of her limp limbs and weight, but she still fell backwards unnaturally.

" Hey-hey-ey, love. Wake up, Adria-dira please. "

Digger's voice was warped and shaking, his eyes beginning to fill and release as he shook her again. His body slowly falling to the ground with hers as she still continued to speak to her. Floyd jolted, and pushed past the others, only to fall to his knees, skidding to a stop. He put his hands between Digger and Adria, trying to pry the two of them apart, as Adira's arms and head hung from his embrace.

" Fuck off, get away. "

Digger's words seemed to melt together as he tried to force Lawton away from him, but Floyd was adamant in removing him.

" Listen to me, she's gone.. alright. " Floyd's exasperated expression looked on at Digger, and for a moment the two shared a similar look of devastation.

" No mate, no way.. Not like this. "

Digger choked out, his breathing so excessive that he could barely get his sentence out.

With trembling hands Digger slowly sat her down, his body bending over her, as though he was protecting her from something, but couldn't.

" We have to get going. "

Flag spat out, sounding unlike himself.

" Give him a minute, man.. "

Floyd looked over his shoulder, shooting an unapologetic look back a Flag, inadvertently blaming him for everything that had happened.

The colonel swallowed hard, his Adams apple bobbing for a moment, as he tried to come up with the right words to say.

" We'll come back for her, alright.. I promise, we're not going to just leave her like this. "

Floyd's voice weakened as he looked down at Adria, but he continued on, forcibly pulling Digger up from Adira's body, struggling with the large Aussie's broad frame. Digger refused to leave. He easily pushed away Lawton, his sobs growing a little bit louder as the eventuality set in. She couldn't come back from this.

It took both Rick Flag and Floyd Lawton to pull him from the room, everyone from Task Force X on their tail, as the mission was finally complete.

Adria remained behind as everyone left the dimly lit room. Soon the fireplace would darken as well, leaving her and Slade to grow cold on the manor's floor.


	26. Reunion

**Here she was again.**

In this void that seemed never ending, there wasn't any room to think or to breathe, the only thing she could do is fade away. It felt like an eternity by the time she began to feel the warmth of another humans touch against her skin.

Adira's cold body had been dragged from the room where both her and Slade had been left to rot, however contrary to Amanda Waller's plans, Adira had refused to die. The gaping wound on the physicians chest began to heal just moments after erupting, and although slow at first, after about a weeks time, she'd nearly fully be herself again.

Two tall men in black suits were quick to jump into action the night of her death, scooping her lifeless body up off the floor and quietly bringing her out to a parked suv. She was hastily thrown into the back of the vehicle, her limbs rolling around unnaturally before a hard door was slammed in her face.

She was quietly brought to a hospital outside the city, where she was announced dead on site. However, the people that had gone through all of this trouble to find her, refused her release, and there she sat for nearly two days, until something unexpected happened.

 **She had a pulse.**

The carnage that the bullet had done to her chest was nearly unrecognizable, and although she was in some type of deep set coma, Adira's body was now working and functioning as normal.

She began to kick and push away at the long, desperate hands of death, refusing to stay in the darkness much longer. Slowly she came to consciousness, realizing that there were people around her.

There were three people in the room with her now, two men, and a woman.

" Are you sure she's not dead, I mean she hasn't really moved- in what, **a week**? "

The woman voice was laced with a thick Brooklyn accent, and the more she spoke the more Adria wished she'd shut the fuck up.

" We didn't work this hard so our little-, " The man's voice caught her ear now, and the way he exaggerated his words made him just as annoying as the woman. "- little **bag** of meat could spoil..be patient. "

Adria wanted to scream out but couldn't, she was awake, but couldn't move.

One of Adira's hands twitched as she tried to gain some kind of focus in her own body, but it wouldn't work. She wouldn't work. The voices continued on for a while now, and the more she listened, the more she understood. Who ever was in the room with her, they were the reason she was alive.

" Who-who was the mans name again, the foreigner.. "

The man's voice was like nails against a chalkboard. Every moment she listened to him speak seemed to anger her more and more. She didn't enjoy the way he openly belittled the woman in the room, or the fact that he never shut up.

" Puddin', you mean Digger? "

Digger?

Adira's heart monitor began to scream and bounce, alerting everyone in the room that she was no longer in some kind vegetable state. The mere mention of a name was enough to press her over the threshold of the living.

 **George** Digger **Harkness**

Adira's body sat up with a sudden burst, her lungs screaming for air as she inhaled and exhaled sharply, reciting the same words over and over to herself. Remembering the first time she'd looked at his file while being in the prison, and thinking what a handsome name it was. She looked around feverishly, her expression looked loathsome and distraught, as though she was an injured animal that had been backed into a corner.

An equally strange look was shot back at her by a man hovering over her hospital bed. The man was sickly pale and looked half dead himself. She immediately knew now where that annoying voice had been coming from.

" Wakey-wakey, look who's decided to join us! Ms. Langley, was it? "

Adira's mouth hung open just slightly, her wild, bloodshot eyes narrowed onto him. She had so many questions, but with her luck, he'd just turn out to be another **creep**.

She eyed him wearily, not knowing the kinds of things he'd done to innocent people. Without realizing it, she couldn't have even imagined the depraved things he'd be capable of.

But for now, he was an ally.

Adira cooled herself down, the two clowns in the room seemed overjoyed that she was up and awake, however the other physician in the room looked, frightened.

" We-" The older doctor cleared his throat, nervously speaking up.

" We had to do three blood transfusions, Ms. Langley.. But miraculously you've recovered, somehow.. " His voice trailed off towards the end, as he fearfully eyed the pale man and her both.

" Ohh, she's cute too. How was your sleep doc? "

The woman spoke from Adira's side, her blonde locks were tainted with bits of blue and red hues, and much like the man in the room, she had sickly pale skin.

" Where am I.. "

Adira dragged out her words, her voice rising slightly, as she became more and more impatient. She was currently not just lying in a hospital bed, but confined to it. Thick black straps were pulled over her legs and arms, making it difficult to move.

Her vison was still adjusting to the bright room, and without hesitation, the pale freak with green hair reached over her bead and got into her face.

" You and me doc, ohh, we're gonna be such good friends.. "

She always got stuck with these kinds of people.

Her face twisted into something uneasy, as she realized she never really would be able to get away from people like this.

Ganes, Runner, fucking **Wilson**.. and now who ever this creep was.

Adira pulled up her body as far as the restraints would let her, getting into the mans face, and to her surprise, instead of instinctively pulling back, he kept his composure.

" Where am I.. "

Adria spoke again, this time her tone becoming much more agitated. She was just about done with what ever game this douchebag was playing with her.

" I heard **what** you did for a friend of mine, Deadshot? You took that chip-thing outta his neck, so, we need the same favor. "

The woman spoke with a bright smile, walking up and next to Adira's bedside as well.

" Favors are for friends, not for people who kidnap other people. "

Adira presented their proposition with another one, and almost immediately the pale man began to laugh.

" Ohh, let's be friends then, DR. LANGLEY! "

The pale man spoke again, laughing in hysterics, and Adira immediately knew she'd said the wrong thing.

 **They were going to hurt her.**

She flailed in the hospital bed, and the laughter that came from both the clown and the girl, made everything that much more frightening. She had to get out. She didn't survive being shot point blank in the chest by Amanda Waller, just to be tortured by some villain freaks.

Adira sat up in the bed, her hands gripping the restraints that held her wrists. She pulled hard, harder then she'd realized she could. Her body had gained something from that shot that Slade Wilson had injected her with, and her body had just remembered its own strength,

Adira's petite frame effortlessly ripped the restraints that were on her torso and legs, as her furious gaze looked up to meet the group.

The doctor was the first to scream, and almost instantly the clown brought up a shiny pistol, and cleared the doctors head from his shoulders.

" We don't like squealing pigs! "

The clown's voice was incredibly loud and cryptic, as he set off his shot point blank, before turning to face Adria.

" And to think I was going to try and kill you, " the pale man began to laugh and chuckle to himself, as both he and the woman gathered for a moment and spoke quietly to one another. Adria pushed herself off of the hospital bed, her weak legs swaying for a moment as she tried to get any kind of traction on the cold hospital floor beneath her.

" Let's strike a deal, Doc? I'll let you live, and in exchange, you take that little annoying chip, out of this lovely little thing's neck? "

Adira's confused gaze lifted as the entire situation in the room became clear.

The crazy woman that had escaped Belle Reeve.. It was **Harley Quinn** , the same clown that was in the room with her. Somehow Lawton must have been in contact with these people, and now they want the same VIP surgery.

" That's not enough.. "

Adira snapped at the clown, who now she could only guess was Harley's number one accomplice, The Joker. Her feet had finally found their place on the ground, and any moment she'd be able to stand on her own.

" Oh Doctor, " The Joker make a few 'tsk' 'tsk' 'tsk' sounds before bringing up his large pistol and pointing it directly at Adira's head.

" I want to take everything away from her, like she did from me.. I want Amanda Waller to burn.. "

Adria looked up, her still pale skin and sunken eyes adding a surreal look to her. She looked painfully honest, and almost instinctively, the Joker pulled up his Gun and again, he began to laugh.

" Oh hunny, I like this one. "

Harley chimed in from behind The Joker and without hesitation, he brought down his gun.

" Tell me Dr. Langley, all about this little plan of yours. "

Adira's scowling face began to lift into a softer version of itself, as she managed to force a snide smile.

The Joker had been having trouble with running his operations within Gotham and the neighboring Cities, as anytime Harley came too close to an ARGUS location, the chip in her neck would activate and deactivate at will, putting herself and him in danger. He wanted the chip out.

Simple enough.

Only no sane surgeon within The Joker's reach would risk their own neck and operate on Mr. J's favorite play thing. If Harley Quinn died, cities would burn and so would they.

Adira had a proposal. The one thing she wanted, and would work towards for the next few months, would be getting Digger back. The Joker needed to help her get Digger back, and in exchange, she'd take the implant out of Harley.

At first he was not thrilled, however the idea of blowing up one of ARGUS's most distinguished prisons, a prison that had once held Harley, well it was too good to pass up. Adria spent months planning alongside Joker and his men, planning the perfect time to attack.

She was going to get that bitch back for everything she did to her, and save Digger from that shithole no matter what it took.

It was 3:30 am when a loud, whining siren began to blow within the Belle Reve Prison, sending everyone, from the guards, to the prisoners, scrambling. There were at least three breaches within the prison's safety security system, causing multiple automated cell doors to open and close at will, and putting the already on edge staff, over the hill. The power had been cut, causing the reserve generators to fire on. There was a brief twenty minute window that the prison had until the entire place would go black. Almost all of the prison was in darkness, however there were some older reserve lights scattered throughout its halls, giving the inside of the prison an erie appearance. Some halls were illuminated with some old, shitty lights that hadn't been changed in years, while others were no longer white, but instead, a dull, dimming red color that made it difficult to see.

The guards were off scrambling, running and screaming. Off in the distance there were gunshots firing relentlessly and a large shake in the prison's foundation signaled that there had been some kind of detonation within the prison.

There were fights in the halls. Prisoners stabbing guards, and guards shooting inmates, it was never ending. The general prison population had begun to mix with the more dangerous of Belle Reve, leaving the minimal guard staff in over their head.

A silent guard pushed through the chaos, maneuvering around the murderous thugs and trigger happy guards, ducking and weaving until they reached the one inmate that they had been asked to protect;Digger Harkness.

Harkness had easily become one of the most hated inmates within Belle Reeve. His large size made him harder to control, and his disobedient attitude made the guards loathe working with him. So not even an hour ago, when the power had originally gone out, Officer Griggs had assigned a guard to watch over each of Amanda Waller's pets, and the petite guard had been chosen not watch over the mouthy Australian.

It was absolute chaos all around. Fellow guards were screaming for back up, others weren't hesitating to shoot who ever they needed to in order to survive, but the guard continued amongst the carnage, seeming to effortlessly step over a dead body, and duck around a corner, before closing in on Harkness's room.

The guard stood outside the door for a moment, looking around hesitantly themselves before using a card key to open up the prisoners cell and let themselves in. Upon entering the room, the door was securely closed behind them, assuring that whatever happened within the room, would be private.

As the door securely shut, it cut off a sudden scream and gunshot from down the hall, letting the room that the guard came into, become eerily silent. The guard turned from the door and took a few steps forward, hesitantly approaching the inmate that was in the cell.

The prisoner looked on curiously, he got up from the cot bed that was attached to the far wall of the room, and stood silently. His looming frame was easily much larger than the guards. The darkness of the room was only lifted for a few moments at a time, as a single dying emergency light flickered in the corner of the room. The light was fleeting, but revealed the inmate as none other than George Harkness, the captive that had been captured by The Flash so many months ago, and been kept securely at Belle Reve. He watched on wearily, patches of dried blood clouded the features of his face, and his eyes looked darkened, and wounded. He looked as though he'd been in a bad bar fight, **and lost**.

" The'fucks going on out there? "

Digger's voice was low and ominous, as he approached the guard. He unnoticeably rolled his shoulders and flexed his arms for a moment, as though he was preparing to fight his way out of the room.

The guard didn't move or flinch, but instead, remained perfectly still and silent.

"If you hand over that key mate, there won't be'ny problems.. "

DIgger's low voice was barely above a whisper, and slowly he crept closer.

The guard finally acted, but instead of reaching down at their belt for a glock, they brought their hand up, and pulled off their protective helmet and goggles. Revealing something so entirely unbelievable. Something so unearthly, that it stopped the thief dead in his tracks.

The low light of the room only added to the tension, as the few seconds of dying light made Digger question everything that was happening.

The helmet and other headgear fell to the floor as Adria stood at arms reach from him. The two of them staring in disbelief at one another in silence.

Adria felt her her heart fall into her stomach, as her mind began to race. She hadn't see Digger in almost **six months.**

Six long months of planning and moving, making sure every detail was just right before making her final strike against Waller, and against this hell house of a prison. She looked on at Digger with wide, unsure eyes.

There was so many things she wanted to say to him. So much had happened, and then she was taken from him without a proper goodbye. She didn't get to tell him how much he meant to her, or how much she loved him.

She wanted to tell him everything.

Adria swallowed hard and licked her lips, fully intending to tell him every word at a later time. Her full lips hung open just slightly, as she tried to anticipate anything he might say.

But they only had a few more minutes, and she'd have to put all of this on hold...

" We only have a few more minutes until they secure the prison, we, " Adira's voice trailed off for a moment, before she swallowed hard, " we have to hurry. "

" You-you're dead.. " Digger's voice sounded pained, and instead of rushing forwards to embrace her, he took a solid step back.

" Right, no-no, this is another one of thse'tricks.. " He paused again, shaking his head in disgust.

" Nah-no way.. " He spoke up again, not giving Adria a clear chance to speak. His voice was weak, and faded into the silence of the room. He rubbed at his arms and Adria could faintly see bruising along his forearms. She immediately recognized them as puncture wounds, undoubtedly they'd done something to him in .her absence

Adria rushed forwards, but he took another step back, and this time Adria saw something in his eyes that she hadn't seen in months. **Fear**.

" I'll explain everything, Digger- "

He looked like an animal backed into a corner, and before she knew what was going on, he took two large strides towards her and lunged forwards. She tried to take a step back, clearly startled as her stern expression quickly turned to fear, and she braced herself as he threw himself at her.

Her breath seemed to leave her body as Adria felt her legs lose their own balance. She nearly tumbled backwards into the Prison Cells's door, if it hadn't been for his sudden, strong embrace, she would have fallen backwards.

Adira's entire body tensed up, fully ready for some kind of assault.

She'd always given Digger the benefit of a doubt, but in this instance, he looked bewildered and frightened, as though the mere sight of her scared something deep within him.

But of course he couldn't hurt her, **he never would.**

Digger's arms securely draped around her shoulder and around her waist, ensuring that she not only wouldn't fall, but was also thrusted up and against his chest and torso. She was startled and stood extremely still, her breathing was irregular and fast as adrenaline blistered through her body.

He buried his beaten face into her neck, all the while tightening the grip of his arms around her. All at once she felt her body relax into him, her eyes began to fill with tears and she anxiously bit her lip, trying her best to contain every emotion that was boiling to the surface.

She'd forgotten how it felt being secured in his arms.

She'd forgotten the way he smelled and the sound of his voice.

There were so many little things that had brightened her day that she, just in this moment, hadn't realized how much she'd missed.

Adira's hands slowly pulled up and wrapped around his back, and she let her cheek rest against Digger's head. They stayed quiet for a few moments, until there was another shake in the prison's foundation.

" You died luv, I-I watched'ya.."

Digger's voice was quiet, and he slowly pulled away from her. Adria looked up to see him look so much not like himself.

Digger's wild eyes had softened into something genuine, and even with the wounds on his face, he looked so sincere. He looked down on her quietly now, awaiting a response.. But everything that had happened over the past six months couldn't be fit into a single response.

Adria brought up her hands, and touched Digger's jaw before slowly leading his face down to hers. Without hesitation of reluctance, he followed down to her level, before sharing a brief kiss with Adria.

Adira held the sides of his face in her hands, pulling her lips away from his before speaking.

" Do you trust me. "

She spoke with an uncertain tone, and without missing a beat, Digger leaned forward and kissed her again.

Adira pulled away from him and quickly glanced at the watch on her wrist, " **Two minutes.** "

Adira seemed to speak out of no where, before turning behind her and grabbing at Digger. They only had a few minutes to get out before this place was crawling with ARGUS scum.

She took a deep breath before opening the door to the cell and preparing for the fight of their lives.

Gunshots blazed by both of them, and for moments at a time, Adria and Digger had to duck around a nearby corner. They peddled through the prison, each second seeming longer than the last as they neared the exit point.

A large exit had been made for them along the side of the prison, as her new friends had arranged for a large detonation and quick escape vehicle. Adria and Digger were met with a large group of men in suits.

The side of the prison was blown away, and bits of dust and debris still hung within the humid Louisiana air. Adria didn't bat an eye as strangers surrounded them and tried to escort Digger to a vehicle that was only a few yards away. He resisted, and Adria watched as one of the men forcefully put a syringe into his neck.

Digger looked an angry and frightened, but she didn't have time to explain everything to him, he'd have to trust her.

She was snapped from her stupor as a gunshot blazed by her head, causing her to duck and pull her own pistol from her waist. Most of the guards and inmates had abandoned the area, Joker's men had made sure of that. There was only one person who had enough ability to push through and infiltrate.

 **Rick Flag.**

The sunlight from the far off horizon hadn't yet begun to break over the landscape, but it's warm light had just begun to push away the calming night. Just barely illuminating Adira, and all of the men that were with her.

Flag's gun was drawn, but after a few moments, it's position hindered. He let his gun fall down to his side, and Adria matched her own gaze with his. He looked confused at first, but she could have sworn she saw him begin to smile.

She turned from his sight and left, getting into the same car as Digger, and riding off before anything else could happen that might stall their plans.


	27. Home

We're close to the end guys! I'm going to be making a few extra little surprises for you all! But as for the main story, we only have two chapters left! I know, I'm sad too, but it's been a wonderful ride! Thank you for all of your support, votes, comments and kindness!

 **Oh** , and y'all have been waiting for that **sex scene,** right? **Like 25+ chapters of waiting, lol. Well here you go!**

 **& By the way I seriously toned down the sex gifs, the ones I had starting this probably would have gotten me reported, lol. So be prepared for that too.**

 **Edit:**

 **You know what, Fuck It! We're all adults here ( and if not you littles ones probably shouldn't be reading a Mature rated novel ) I'm putting what ever I want into this.**

 **Remember** this is a MATURE novel and this chapter in general has a Mature scene.. Scene(s)? anyway, theres a lot of naked good bits so you've been warned. You might not want to read it at work or in a public place. Smut is fun to read until a co worker asks you what you're doing at your desk ?

FF has a strict no mature content policy by the way, so I love y'all, and I love writing scenes like this, so please don't report me! If you love the story, but don't feel comfortable reading mature sexual context, Fast Forward to the next chapter and I'll give you the DL

* * *

They were both exhausted, and neither of them had slept much in the past two days. But still, they were both alive, and **together.**

Adira drove straight for nearly eight hours until they reached a safe house. The small home was in an empty sector of a older Marine Base. The lodging was used for families whose spouses were deployed. But as the military grew into other areas, the base became used less and less. It was maintained in case of emergencies, but rarely checked on or regulated. Adria had spoken to her parents throughout the entire six months she'd been 'dead', and they'd moved pieces around to allow her to stay in the area unnoticed.

Through the darkness of the night, Adria would occasionally look over, catching brief glimpses of Digger through the dim street lights as they drove. She couldn't explain how full she felt, it was an alien feeling, but one that she hoped would last forever.

They had finally arrived at the house, and to Adira's surprise, someone had gone in and cleaned for them. Makings sure there were fresh sheets and towels for them to use.

Digger was off his medication, but was still having trouble walking around, and Adira's petite frame was having a hard time moving him around, but they managed. There was a day bed in the living room where he eventually fell down and released a groan. He rolled over onto his back and chuckled quietly to himself.

Adira walked around the nearly pitch black house, opening every window she could, but still keeping all of the blinds shut. She watched as Digger writhed on the bed for a moment and laughed quietly to himself.

" Oh yeah, what's so funny? " Adira smiled at him, peering over her shoulder while a snide smile crept across her lips.

" Yesterday I was inna shithole cell, and now I'm ere.. "

Digger began to laugh again and Adria began to question if the medicine was really out of his system or not. She turned on one dim light at the far edge of the room and cleared the room to check on him.

The moment her palm touched his forehead, she watched him silently turn into her, his tired eyes having a hard time staying open. He rested his head against her hand and brought up a free hand to touch her arm.

" Fuck.. "

Adira spat angrily, she quickly got up and quickly made her way outside the house and to the car, grabbing a small duffle bag and shoulder cooler, before rushing back inside. She quickly dropped the bags in front of where Digger laid, and rummaged through the pockets, eventually finding a small prescription bottle. She grabbed a cold bottle of water from the cooler and forced him to take two of the pills.

" You have a high fever Digger, I need you to get into the shower, " She only paused once to look behind her to where the bathroom door was.

" You're burning up. "

Adria tried to help him up, mentally hating herself for not checking on his state sooner. If the fever got any further out of control he could suffer brain damage or go into a coma.

" Yor pretty hot stuff urself. "

Adira's head bowed for a moment, and she shook her head.

At least he was still himself.

She led him to the bathroom and started a cold shower. Adria turned on the light, but Digger quickly turned it off and got into the shower without another word.

She left him alone for about forty minutes before she checked in on him and realized he was already out. He almost looked like a completely different man. The swelling on his face, from when he was at the prison, had gone down, and the dark rings around his eyes had dramatically faded.

Digger's facial hair had grown out some, making him look more rugged than she remembered, while the hair on top of his head was shorter, but in the wetness of the bathroom, had begun to slightly curl.

The only thing he had on him was a thin white towel, and even then Adira had to fight with him to keep it on as he tried to constantly walk around the chilly cabin naked. Digger sat down on the bed, his body hunched over, as his forearms rested against his knees.

" Where are we doll? "

Digger cleared his throat and tried to sound as normal as he could.

Adira's lips began to form a coy smile as she cleared the room and stood beside the nearest window. She didn't feel like going into every single detail right now, she told him the minimum, and to her surprise, it was enough.

" Northeast. "

Adria brought up her hands and let them rest against the chilled glass of the window. She glanced out for a moment, seeing nothing but the quiet of the night.

" Nah-nah luv, It's alright. "

Adira's hands paused against the windows frame, as she hesitated closing it. The small smirk from before began to grow into an infectious grin as she left the window to check on Digger.

" You look a little better.. "

Adria spoke in a calming tone, as she checked his vitals and noticed that he still had a slight fever.

" M' Fine.. "

Digger shot a sheepish grin up to Adira, prompting her to smile back.

The cold shower had brought down his fever, but Digger still looked a little flushed and overheated. Adria made sure he drank enough water and told him to try and sleep. The normally stubborn and outspoken Aussie had surprisingly complied with the doctors orders, allowing Adira a moment of peace.

A cool gust of air pushed through each of the open windows, bringing with it the soft subtle scent of the woods and the beautiful lulling sound of the night with it.

Adira only kept one small light on in the home, as to not attract too much attention, and proceeded to take her shower in the dark as well.

Her brain wanted her to overthink everything that had happened. It wanted her to obsess over the events that had taken place the last few days, and to relive the entire ordeal. But she was too utterly exhausted to even begin planning for what was next. Right now all she wanted to do was rest.

The hot steam from the shower met the crisp air that had flooded the cabin, and together made for beautiful atmosphere. Adira dried her damp hair with a towel a she left the bathroom barefoot and immediately noticed that the only light that was on in the cabin, was now off. At some point Digger had gotten up and must have shut it off.

She wasn't in the more weather appropriate clothing, but it didn't really bother her. She loved the cold.

Her eyes tensed for a moment as she remembered being stuck in that humid fucking pig pen where the sun never seemed to go down, and how it had nearly killed her. So this.. this was much more appealing. The Summer was beginning to wind down, and this far north, the days were breezier and the nights cooler.

She had a comfortable, short sleeved tee on with smaller shorts to cover her legs. She surveyed the perimeter of the home again, the overly cautious paranoid in her made her on edge, regardless of how safe they really were.

A dry, hard cough broke through the silence of room, causing Adria to nearly jump out of her skin. She quietly shrieked, and immediately looked to the source of the noise.

Digger coughed again, but this time he sat up and padded his chest with a wide palm.

She cleared the room quicker than ever, immediately letting her body fall onto the bed next to him as she tried to calm him. His large body seemed to find its rhythm, and almost on cue, he began to breath properly again.

She didn't hesitate to check his temperature again, not surprised to see that he was still a little warm. She positioned herself onto her knees and extended forward, checking his pulse and the site of the incision.

" Are you feeling dizzy or have a headache? "

She knew she should have turned on a light, but the faint glow from the moon peeking through the blinds was enough, and her eyes had adjusted. Adria checked the back of Digger's neck, but the incision where she'd taken the chip out, looked clean and free of redness or swelling. She didn't give him a moment to respond as she caught herself sheepishly smiling behind him.

" You're definitely faking it.. "

Adria spoke quietly to herself, a smile passing over her lips as she tucked her damp hair behind her ears. Digger's pulse was normal and it didn't seem as though he was having a negative reaction to the antibiotics. He'd just have to wait this small, uncomfortable part out of the healing process.

" Just a scratch luv. "

Digger spoke in a low, raspy tone. His voice sounded as though he'd been in a deep, uninterrupted sleep. He pulled a free hand up, letting the tips of his fingers gaze the wound on the back of his neck.

Adira smiled and closed her eyes for a moment, as the wide smirk on her face began to fade into a soft, calming smile. She took a shallow breath, and exhaled deeply.

She loved every minute of this.

Adira brought up a hand and ran it though her chilled hair, not taking her eyes off of Digger.

She was still kneeling directly behind him, resting on the backs of her heels, she brought up a chilled hand, holding it against the warmth of his skin on his shoulder. The tips of her fingers firmly held him, as he pulled his head sideways some, hesitating to face her.

There was a richness in the room that was so intoxicating. Neither of them moved for a few moments, as the quiet, breezy atmosphere between them began to thin. One of Adira's hands tightened against her bare thigh, and as each second passed, she felt her chest become tighter and tighter.

Adira broke the standstill of the room, removing her hand from Digger's shoulder.

Only the moment her skin left his, Digger's reflexes brought up his own hand, grasping hers before she could move away, causing him to momentarily lift from the bed and close the distance between them.

Everything was effortless and fast, as Adira felt a surging rush of adrenaline and heat push through her. Her lips parted just slightly as her eyes fluttered closed. He knelt in front of her, just as she was. Digger's large palms pressed against her own hands for a moment, and she had to fight the looming urge that seemed to be a constant, at the back of her mind.

She could feel how hot his body was, and the longer he proped his body up close to hers, the shorter her breaths became. Digger licked his bottom lip, narrowing his body closer to hers, and bringing his large frame down to her level.

In the muffled light of the night, she could see the smallest, slyest grin on his face. His toothy smile indicating how much he was enjoying all of this.

Adira was flustered, her pale skin was crimson as a deep shade of pink crested the apples of her cheeks. What was worse was the small tremors she could feel building in her knees and thighs, as her adrenaline refused to quit, she was beginning to shake from being so overwhelmed.

Adria released her grip on Digger's hands, pulling up her palms, she cradled each side of Digger's face and brought him down to her level. Digger was surprised, and seemed to freeze up the moment he was brought down to her, but it wasn't even a moment later that he reached forwards and kissed her.

Digger's wide palms reached out and shifted down as he pressed hard against Adira's bare thighs, and almost effortlessly, Adria felt him shift his body over her, his hands working quickly as she was put on her back.

He shifted himself between her thighs, parting her legs in the process, and he brought his body onto hers.

She felt her hips dip up and forwards as Digger's bare body grasped at her. His lips pressed passionately against hers before burying his face into her neck. He roughly kissed and licked at her shoulder before hurriedly bringing down his hands and frantically pulling off the only fabric that covered her torso.

Adira's hands feverishly grasped at Digger's thick arms, repositioning her body as Digger pulled off her shorts and quickly discarded them. He breathlessly pulled at her body as their arms draped around one another, and without much more hesitation, Digger plunged his body into hers.

Adira's chest rose and fell vigorously as Digger buried himself against her. She felt Digger hungrily pull her as he thrusted his hips down into her again. Her head leaned back against the bed, her fingers loosely lacing through his still damp hair as Digger held his tongue and lips against her shoulder.

Both of them fumbled for a moment, their bodies struggling to be in sync as they animalistically kissed and grabbed at one another. Adria's body finally paused for a moment, as all at once she wrapped her heels tightly around Digger's hips and thrusted her hips up against him, just as he pushed down into her.

The moment their momentum peaked, Adria felt Digger moan loudly against her skin. The vibration from his voice against her body and the sensation of him finally fully sinking into her, caused her to emit an accidental groan as well.

Digger's rhythm seemed to find its footing, as the two of them were no longer hastily trying to fuck each other, but instead had managed to maintain a steady pulse. Digger didn't let her body simply rest against the bed that was underneath them, unable to help himself, he grasped and bent over her, lifting her body from the covers. Adira's hands held firmly against his shoulders and neck, occasionally she'd catch herself accidentally holding her fingers against the incision on his neck and she'd immediately pull away out of fear of hurting him.

He didn't even seem to notice, and the more she did try to pry from him, the tighter his grip would become. Each time she moaned or felt Digger's pace quicken into her, she tried her absolute hardest to remain quiet. She knew that regardless if they were in a low populated area, there was always a chance someone could interrupt them.

Adria could feel their pace begin to slip, Digger's body seemed to move faster as their hips connected deeper. The cool air of the room only helped hinder their heat as within minutes both Adria and Digger were dripping with sweat.

Digger's speed only paused for a moment, as his arms pulled down and pried Adira's legs from around his waist, and hastily placed each of her legs into one of his arms. Adira's back uncontrollably arched as Digger bent her legs back further, quickening his movements.

Digger's large frame pinned her against the bed and the wall that was behind them, his hands slipping down her thighs as their slick bodies began to fatigue. Digger's pace quickened again and Adira bit her bottom lip as her eyes seemed to frantically close. He roughly threw himself against her, using his large palms to part her thighs and hold them steady.

Adira's legs and body began to tense up as she felt his hips press into her faster, and deeper. Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest as her body began to dissolve into him, one of her hands cupping over her mouth as she felt her body begin to peak.

Through the panting and the heat, Adria could faintly hear Digger begin to moan, as he pulled himself onto her and thrusted himself hard enough into her that her body shuttered. Digger used his hands to hold Adira's hips as close to him as he possibly could, before she felt his body relax onto her.

For a few moments, they stayed still, the two of them panting and holding each other. Adira's raw skin was softly kissed by Digger's wet lips, and slowly he pulled himself from her. The two of them laid quietly with the each other, the only sound in the breezy room being the two of them breathing.

Adira's weary eyes fought to stay open, as her breathing finally began to return to normal. One of Digger's arms was strewn out across her chest, as his palm sat firmly at the base of her ribs. The fine hairs across her shoulders began to ripple and rise as his deep, rhythmic breaths washed over her bare, chilled chest. Adira let her hand rest against one of his arms, her fingers lightly touching and tracing his scars, and imperfections that lined his muscles.

Now that she had a moment to relax, her body began to show small aches and pains. Her hips faintly throbbed as her body began to catch up with what had just happened.

She was almost asleep when she felt him shift and move again.

Adiras's eyes stirred open, immediately noticing that there still wasn't any light outside. Her tired eyes watched Digger shifting and moving. She brought up a hand, placing it onto his forehead.

" You're fever broke.. "

Adira's spoke quietly, and barely above a whisper. Digger pulled her hand down from his face and brought it down to his lips. She happily grumbled, trying to pry away her hand from his, but to no avail. Digger moved closer to her, cresting his lips against her arm and then her shoulder.

She hadn't realized how cold she was until he touched her. The rough skin of his hands gently grazed her soft breast and abdomen, causing her to shift from the bed. Adira wiggled away some, her bare naked body shifting across the covers.

But Digger was faster than her.

She smiled as he greedily grabbed at her, pulling her back to him, before pulling her close for a deep kiss. It didn't take much for her to give into him, her back and body seeming to pull against him without much effort. Her body finally stopped trying to flee the moment he moved his mouth from her lips and to her neck. Taking his time he let his warm breath touch and wash over her collar bone and chest, placing his wet lips on her breast for a few moments, causing Adira to shift and writhe. Her hands grabbed for him, but Digger's body moved quickly, his warmth leaving her skin for only a moment as he shifted his entire body down.

Digger's tongue and lips touched her inner thigh sucking on her skin for a few moments, enjoying the fact that Adira's body was moving which ever way he wanted it to. His eyes would shift up to her, catching fleeting glances of Adira's arching body or her trembling muscles. His large hands tightly gripped her thighs, his mouth not leaving her skin for long moments of time as he inched up her leg, letting his hands quietly tease her. Shifting down from her navel, and hesitating just before sinking into her.

Her hands slipped from her mouth and to the sheets under her. Her fingers tightly clutching the fabric of the bed as her back arched down into him.

His tongue teased her upper inner thigh before slowly pulling away and taking a few moments to himself. She could feel his hot tepid breath touch the wetness of her body, causing her to whimper quietly to herself.

Digger eased himself into her. His tongue and lips sank against her, causing her to immediately jar and knock her hips, her body overwhelmed with stimulus. Digger's firm, strong hand held her still as her body began to slowly tremble. Her head was dazed, as his tongue washed against her and his hands seemed to inch their way up her thighs.

A quiet moan escaped her lips as she lightly bit her bottom lip and tried to remain still. Digger's pace quickened as his actions seemed to feed off of Adira's cries and shivers. She could feel her body peak as her orgasm teemed at the surface, every movement and touch putting her just seconds from spilling over.

Digger pulled his mouth away from her for just a moment, letting his wide palm press against her, putting a few of his fingers inside of her. Adira's body jerked, her back arching as the new sensation of having him inside of her, put her over.

His tongue touched her again, as his hand rhythmically pulsed against her, causing Adira's hips to rock with the movement of his fingers. Her body released a blissful moan as she let herself fully press against him. Her hips and legs trembling as she felt her body finally release.

There was no hesitation, as Adira's body relaxed against the sheets, Digger's hands were already clawing for her. Digger's entire body shifted upwards, his lips touching her navel one last time before he pulled his burning, erect body up onto her. He pulled one of her legs up with him, as he hastily kissed her neck and jaw. Adira felt his cheek rest against hers as he finally thrusted himself up and into her.

Digger's entire body seemed to tremble for a moment, as he quietly moaned a curse into her ear, his body pausing as he let his hips rest against hers. The sensation of him completely filling her was short lived, as he held her leg over his shoulder and began to rhythmically pace himself into her.

Digger glided himself into her, this time they seemed more at ease, but not necessarily less eager. His lips brushed against her neck and mouth, kissing her deeper and deeper as their pace began to pick up. His body hunched closer to hers, as his hips pressed into her more violently, causing her to release a quiet cry into his neck. Adira's moans growing louder and more frequent the closer Digger came to climaxing, as his hips thrusted deeper into her. Eventually her body trembled, as Digger began to quietly groan against her neck, his hands grabbing at her needlessly, as he shuttered against her, his body releasing all of its tension and passion.

They stayed cradled up against one another for a minute, the sound of heavy breathing filled the room, as Adira smiled, and Digger lazily sank his face into her neck.


	28. The Road Ahead

OMGGG the last chapter! What! I loved writing this series, and I love Boomerang, and I really really want to thank everyone for their kind words, and for reading this book. This is the last ""chapter"" but I have an **epilogue** that will be a quick, short and fun run down of Digger/Dira and where they are now. That'll be released early next week.

* * *

Unlike many of her mornings, this morning, Adira wasn't woken up with a loud, needy alarm clock, instead, it was the soft light of the early morning sun that caused her to quietly stir. The brisk temperature of the room held firm, even amongst the soft morning glow, and Adira breathed in the deep woodsy smells of the room. She'd gotten used to the swampy smell of the deep Louisiana Penitentiary, so being up in the mountains, in this place, well it was nothing short of extraordinary.

Adira's shivery body tried to ignore the impending day, as she nuzzled her bare body over across the bed. The thin white sheets provided little to no protection against the cold morning, and as Adira tried her best to warm her chilled face, she suddenly realized who was next to her on the bed.

Her naked body seemed frozen, as Adira's lips parted slightly, her head relaxed down onto the pillow beneath her. Her arm fell down slowly, letting her hand rest against the bed next to her, and without much more hesitation, she smiled.

Digger was sleeping soundly next to her, his wide shoulders stretched out, as his head buried itself against one of his arms. His deep breaths were quiet and rhythmic. There was something to be said about him in this state. Digger's mouthy antics, and snarky smile were hidden beneath this warm, handsome, slumbering man. She let her sleepy eyes shut for a few moments, letting go of her consciousness for just enough time for her body to shake itself awake. Another cold wave of air swept into the room, and although refreshing, it had startled her enough to wake her.

Digger must have felt her shiver, as his body acted before she could. His lumbering arms reached over and effortlessly pulled her body across the thin sheets, and over to him. She couldn't help but quietly laugh and writhe, as he finally let her rest against him. Digger's body was far warmer than her own, and the moment their naked skin brushed, her chilled skin felt instant relief.

" Why'r you so cold'luv? "

Digger's deep voice ached with low, gruff notes. He hardly sounded like himself. Adria grinned quietly to herself, putting a playful, freezing cold hand against Digger's blissfully warm stomach. The action immediately caused Digger to recoil and pull back his body from hers.

" You're warm enough for the both of us. "

Adira laughed, planting her flushed cheeks against one of Digger's arms. He mumbled quietly, pulling himself over her and letting his lips press against her neck.

Adira brought up her arms, and happily enveloped them around his neck, pulling him closer to her. He rested his lips against her cheek and didn't let them leave her skin. His body rested and learned into hers, and Adira felt the chill in her bones slowly melt away.

It felt strange to her. Thinking collectively about all of those nights she'd spent while working at Belle Reeve. All of the ten, twelve or even fifteen hour shifts she'd worked, all of the blood and fluids she'd been covered in, and the nights she didn't get home until the sun was coming up. All of that loneliness and bitterness that she had felt for so long, and how it had begun to leave her once she met him. How they had come so far from that day Digger had been first brought into the prison. He was covered in his own blood, and could barely talk. From then to where she was now was a completely different plane of thought.

Adira was broken from her blissful stupor by a sudden question. Digger had let his head rest down against her shoulder, and in a low, surly voice, asked her an alarming question.

" This means u'r goin steady with'me sheila. "

Digger spoke into her, the sensation of his damp, warm breath brushing past her brittle, chilled skin, caused it to goose bump. She let a peculiar look pass over her face, as she held back a growing smile.

" Steady? What are we in the 1960's? "

Her voice hadn't yet caught up to her, and for a moment, sounded weak. Digger scoffed into her shoulder, and laughed whole heartedly in response to her answer. He pulled up hid head, and Adira felt her chest tighten, as Digger pulled himself up, letting the weight of his body rest against his broad forearms. In the brightness of the day she could see how handsome he was.

Of course Digger had always had that bad boy charm and overwhelmingly handsome face, but in the crisp white light of the room, he looked heavenly. She loved everything about him.

Digger's short hair had gown out some, and had begun to curl at the ends, while his facial hair had begun to hide his handsome features. Digger pursed out his full lips, kissing one of Adira's hands in the process. The rough mixture of blue and green that his eyes held, seemed to illuminate and reflect in the morning sun, and for a few moments she couldn't find her breath.

The warm, bright light that began to fill the room caused her eyes to flutter closed. She let her chin rest down and onto Digger's forehead, letting the two of them sit in silence for a few moments.

" You gun'a run away with me, Darl.. "

He spoke to her again. Adira smiled into Digger's hair, her infectious smile growing with every minute. Digger pushed his body up and over her, causing her to wiggle and laugh, clearly becoming more and more impatient that she wasn't answering his question. The harsh light of the sun only allowed her to take in his features even more. Digger's wide toothy smile made her chest sore and her heart pound away. His wild eyes only seemed to become more adventurous the longer he stared down at her, and his rugged, rough features only caused her more anxiety. For a few moments she laid back and took all of him in. His scars, his mismatched smile and curly locks, all of it was everything she'd ever wanted. To her, he was handsome beyond any means possible.

Digger let his broad, flat palms rest against hers, and softly held her against the bed as he hovered over her. His burly chest and thick muscles catching the highlighting rays of the sun, and without another word of hesitation, she answered him.

" I'll go anywhere with you Digger.. "

Digger's face faded for only a moment as she spoke quietly between them, as though for any moment, he was expecting her to say something different. As though he'd almost anticipated a lesser response. His brows furrowed together, as he processed what she had said, his lips hanging open slightly in assumption.

Adira's tired eyes squinted slightly in the bright light of the window, and her obnoxiously large grin was infectious enough to cause him to smirk even further.

The rawness of this moment would be something she would never forget. This wasn't the dimly lit jail cell that they had slowly fallen in love in, nor was it the musky hallways or the sheltered rooms that they had shared. This was so much more unpolished and beautiful.

" I love yo-"

The moment she went to speak again, Digger lowered his body down onto hers, and let his lips press down against hers. She instantly smiled, their two naked bodies fidgeting and writhing against one another as Adria squirmed and laughed quietly to herself, still trying to repeat what she had just said, but Digger was always quick to kiss her as she finished any words she could get out. The two of them moving and wrestling for only a few moments, which eventually turned into another repeat affair of the night before.

* * *

The lush sounds of the wildness at night is what caused her to wake up. Her body jolted awake, fearful and alert from her deep slumber. Her breathing was fast, and her body seemed to be scared of something, as the hairs on her arms and neck began to stand on end. For almost a minute she sat in the silence of the room, her heavy breathing overtaking any other sound. But as Adira began to calm down, she began to hear the quiet sounds of the night, and she realized where she was.

There was a small pond not too far off from the tiny home they were staying in, and Adria could hear the beautiful sounds of the loons sounding off to one another. That, along with the quiet sounds of the wind writhing through the trees, had startled her awake. It was almost seven at night, how had they slept the entire day away?

As Adira's body began to relax and her fear began to subside, she began to feel a whole new set of physical complications.

Her body was **so. fucking. sore.**

She was starving and had to get up, and on top of everything else she could tell her legs were going to be like jello if she did try to stand up. But sitting still and doing nothing wouldn't be a option at this point. Adria had been wearing some form of clothing the night before, and for now, she'd grab that and quietly put it on. The short sleeved t shirt and small shorts didn't do much to help her, as the temperature rolled downwards.

Adira paced across the brisk floor and made her way to the bathroom where she then realized how long it had been since she'd had been intimate with another human. Regardless, all of the pain was worth it.

After washing up she fumbled through the living room, her hands desperately searching for a light switch, but not finding one. Finally she found a small lamp on a side table, and within moments of plugging it in, the room was illuminated with a soft, dim light. Adira's eyes fell over to Digger, who was currently peacefully sleeping. She quietly cleared the room and checked to see the small wound on his shoulder before nervously putting a hand over his forehead. No fever.

For now the only thing she'd have to worry about was if he was hungry or not. **Which was a great problem to have.**

Adira's hair had grown out a little, she'd kept it just past her shoulders. Something she might change later on, but for now, it suited her. Adira tucked her tired locks behind her ears and worked her way around in the poor lighting. The fridge wasn't fully stocked, but it had some essentials. Milk, juice, eggs and some other small amenities. She decided she'd make breakfast, regardless of what time it was, she was sure Digger would appreciate a meal that wasn't the slop the prison had served.

She brewed some coffee as well, and instead of waking Digger up, she decided to go through something personal she'd managed to grab on her way out of the prison. Adria pulled one of her larger shoulder bags from the front door and to the kitchen table, and from there she pulled out a thick folder with a old, tattered band around it, keeping the contents from spilling out.

Waller had extra files on each of the inmates, some files even Adria hadn't seen. This was one of those files.

Adria removed her bag from the table and did a small, satisfied "shimmy" with her shoulders, not realizing how satisfied she was with herself, for getting these secret documents out of a fortified prison that technically didn't " exist " to the general public.

The folder was filled with a plethora of personal info on Digger. Everything and anything that had happened during the last attack on Midway City, personal photos of Digger when he was a young juvenile, and even some mugshots of him as a teen. This wasn't a folder of photos, it was her treasure chest. She hadn't had a moment to go through any of it, and right now seemed like the right time to take a peek.

The intoxicating smell of freshly brewed coffee caught her attention, and just like that she was up and going again. She had't realized Digger was slowly stirring by the time she made it back to the kitchen table. The wild Aussie let out an uncomfortable groan as he managed to push his way out of the bed and stand up, making sure to stretch the shoulder that had been giving him so much grief the past few days.

Adira listened to him stir, not looking back at him, as she began to involuntarily smile, finishing making some quick food and some coffee for the two of them to share. She walked to the table and nearly dropped everything she had in her hands. Digger hadn't bothered putting any cloths on, and had decided that in the crisp air of the cabin, he'd just walk around stark naked.

She caught herself stumble on her own thoughts, and just barely made the plates to the table without everything going all over the floor.

" Digger its freezing! "

Adira shot at him in a short laugh, covering up her face for just a moment as she could't contain her laughter. In typical Digger Fashion, he put his arms and hands up, as though he was being accused of something he hadn't done. Adria rushed past him and had to fight for a moment, as Digger tried to grab at her, barely getting away, she grabbed a pair of comfortable pants that were in one of the drawers of the room. They weren't the newest, brightest sweat pants, but they were clean and would fit him.

She sheepishly threw the pants at his face and made her way to the kitchen to get the coffee, and together they sat at the table and ate, while going through some of the older photos.

There was one photo they looked at together, one of Digger when he was a teenager. Of course the young man in the photo had a black eye and a smug look on his face. He had no facial hair, but had this broad jaw and wild head of curly hair. He looked less than pleased that he had to be photographed. Adria sipped her coffee, and crossed her legs onto the chair she was sitting on, giving Digger her full attention.

" This'in, " Digger pointed roughly at the photo, " was from robbin'a corner store.. I really, really wanted this beut of a knife they had under the counter. I tried to ask real'nice, but I had to punch the bloke in the face to get it. "

Digger spoke as though there was no other possible way he could have gotten that knife, and that everything was justified. Adria reached out an arm and carefully selected another photo, this one showing a Digger she recognized, if not at least ten years younger. There was some wording at the bottom of the photo she just couldn't ignore.

" Ohh, Geroge Harkness, " Adria smiled from ear to ear, as her eyes playfully met with his, " can I call you Geroge now? "

Adria brought her cup of coffee up to her mouth temporarily covering her wide grin. She knew how much he hated being called by his formal name.

"Fuck'no, " Digger shot a grin at Dira, knowing that she was trying to get a rise out of him. He saw through her ruse and gave her a quick explanation.

" Listn, my mothr' called me George after my father, who was a god awful prick, and everyone knows that name as'some big shot business cunt, who lives here in the states. "

" So just Digger then? "

Adira rebuttaled again and Digger looked at her with a wide smirk and sighed.

" What about this one? "

Adira spoke, changing the subject onto something lighter. She knew that Digger hadn't been too close to his father, and at least now, she knew little bit why.

The night grew deeper, and after they'd eaten, Adria poured them another cup of coffee and they went through some more of the photos that Waller had kept hidden away. Adria and Digger were sitting close together, sharing their body heat. Digger letting Adria rest against his shoulder as she teased him about his mullet hairstyle from his teenager years. The two talked for a while, about the last mission Digger had been put on with the rest of the squad, and how he had managed to escape just once more before Adria had showed up.

" You mad'me wait long enough luv'.. "

Digger passively guilted her, and Adria took the bait. She did feel incredibly guilty for waiting so long to get back to him, and she knew that he would probably be mad. She had anticipated an uncomfortable conversation.

He looked down at her with a small grin, as he managed to hold back a much larger smile. She let her head rest back against his upper arm and let out a small, quiet sigh. She knew he was just poking at her, maybe in an attempt to rile her up, but all the same she had been carrying around this weight.

" I wanted to come back and steal you away from that awful bitch, but I had to make sure you'd never have to go back.. "

Her quiet voice seemed to get lost throughout the open room and Digger's hand only tightened against her arm in an attempt to bring up her spirits.

" Dira' I'd wait 'nother six if it meant I could runaway with ya.. "

Digger pressed his lips against Adira's temple as he spoke and just like that, she felt that festering anxiety begin to melt away. She let her beautiful tawny brown eyes look up to him for a moment, still unsure how they had managed to meet by chance and make it to where they were.

" You're going to run away with me then? "

Adria teased him and without notice, he pulled her closer to him, and tried to pin her body up against his. She wiggled some, but eventually gave into his strong embrace.

" Beautiful, what've you been doing all this time? " Digger spoke into her hair, his warm breath touching her chilled skin, causing it to ripple.

" I made some friends.. "

Adira shrugged her shoulders, as though it was no big deal.

" Dangerous ones? "

Digger's voice dropped slightly, intrigued.

" Those are the best ones. "

Adira smiled up at him before explaining that she'd spent a majority of her last six months operating with The Joker and Harley, both of whom were severely unhinged and unpredictable. Joker especially, had enjoyed plucking at her ego. He'd fondly called her by "Doc" rather than Adria, and enjoyed having Harley ask her personal, dysfunctional questions. She'd engaged him as long as she could, knowing full well she couldn't pull any of this off without him. The joker was a fucking nut job, but his connections went as deep as they could go. Most of all, she knew when to speak and when to keep her fucking mouth shut.

" yeah.. "

Adira murmured quietly to herself, her chilled fingers beginning to have trouble picking up the photos or flipping through the documents pages.

Digger hunched over closer to her, placing a warm, calloused palm onto one of her thighs. Adria's felt a quiet wave of adrenaline sweep over her, causing the skin on her thighs to bump and furrow. She pursed her lips together, letting her honey brown eyes falter from the table and over to him.

She'd never felt more at peace with where she was. All of the awful shit she'd been through. All of the craziness and seemingly bottomless fighting to survive. All of it had led her to him.

It was early by the time they'd decided to fall back into bed, Adria was intent on them getting up in a few hours to leave this cabin and start their trek further north. Their plans would likely be hindered, however, as Digger' s plans to lay in bed with her, would likely win over any argument she could muster up.


End file.
